


Pavarotti's Legacy

by misskaterinab



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-29
Updated: 2012-06-15
Packaged: 2017-11-06 05:57:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 69
Words: 241,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/415505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misskaterinab/pseuds/misskaterinab
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a journey through Kurt and Blaine's relationship, through MY eyes, from approximately season 2, episode 20, through the future. There's a lot of canon and a lot of not - things I felt should happen, things I thought shouldn't've happened that I wanted to fix, and just stuff I made up that sounded good to me :) Enjoy the fluff and Klainebows I will present to you.</p><p>This is my "sans author's notes" versions - if there is ANYTHING AT ALL you'd like to talk about or understand more, PLEASE DO email or review and I'll be happy to chat with you.</p><p>Beta'ed by GLee68, banner by Ashes at Midnight</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

“KURT HUMMEL IS BACK AT MCKINLEY!” Kurt’s voice rang out over the courtyard and gathering place outside of McKinley High School. For the most part, polite applause was scattered throughout the student body, but a few boos and mumbled “homo”s were to be heard as well. Scanning the crowd for Karofsky, Kurt shook it off and traveled down the steps looking for his friends and fellow Glee club members. It had been far too long.

Kurt was immediately crushed when Burt and Carole broke the news to him that the tuition at Dalton Academy was too costly for him to continue. He had made some terrific, and he hoped lifelong, friends at Dalton and would be sad to leave them behind. He was terrified when thinking about Karofsky and what his return to WMHS would mean for that situation. Burt assured him that he and Carole (and surprisingly, Finn) had met with Principal Figgins several times to discuss strategies for keeping Kurt safe. Eventually they had agreed that Karofsky would be kept on somewhat of a tight leash. Kurt’s schedule would keep him and Karofsky in different parts of the building at all times. They would never attend the same class, lockers would be in different hallways on different floors, and their lunch periods would occur at different times, and most likely in different places as well, as Karofsky preferred to take advantage of the open campus for lunch time and Kurt liked to eat with his New Directions friends in the choir room. Even their assigned parking spots would be on opposite sides of the parking lot.

He had to admit, he WAS looking forward to the return to McKinley almost solely for his return to New Directions. The Dalton Academy Warblers were a top notch group, but unfortunately, his blunt assessment of the group several weeks earlier was a little too true – he preferred a group where not just one star shone all the time, while the rest of the group were nothing but backup singers. The harmonies and vocal percussion were lovely, but it got boring, so fast. While New Directions tended to still focus mainly on Rachel and Finn as their leads, there were still more opportunities to mix things up. When Kurt attended his first official Glee club rehearsal, he planned on having a heart to heart with them all, sharing what he had learned at Dalton. Hopefully such a talk would result in everyone, or at least more people than usual, getting their few moments in the spotlight at Nationals. He hoped he would be one of those people – he had, after all, sung that beautiful song with Blaine at Regionals, proving he could be a good lead. Also, New York was a good place to showcase your talent. If he ever wanted to break into anything resembling Broadway, any chance, no matter how small, was worth snatching and holding onto with a death grip.

But the worst part of leaving Dalton was leaving Blaine there. Kurt’s departure was a huge blow to such a brand new relationship. When Kurt first arrived at Dalton as the New Directions’ spy, he was absolutely transfixed by the beautiful boy. He felt a tingling in his hand when Blaine grabbed it to rush him along to the Dalton performance room. He could do nothing but stare at Blaine while he sang about skin tight jeans and teenage dreams – at times, Kurt felt as if Blaine was singing directly to him.

Kurt had thought he was practically “in” with Blaine when they had sung “Baby It’s Cold Outside” together. Kurt made sure to let his inner flirt rise to the surface and poured his admittedly limited seduction abilities into the song. Blaine flirted right back and Kurt thought he had him, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be at that time. It was at that time, though, that Kurt realized he was seriously falling for the talented curly-haired boy that filled his thoughts.

Finally, FINALLY, Blaine began to speak about the guy he liked. Kurt’s heart began to flutter while Blaine spoke, thinking _This is it, this is the big confession_. However, when Blaine told Kurt that his crush Jeremiah was a junior manager at the Gap, his heart sunk down into his shoes. He had misread all the signs. Or perhaps he had made everything up in his head. Blaine was only interested in him as a friend. As much as Kurt was dying to run out and have himself a good cry, he did what any great friend would do. He took a deep breath, put on his big boy Underoos, and gave Blaine the pep talk he so desperately needed.

He felt terrible, but he couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful after Jeremiah rejected Blaine. The whole situation was awful – Blaine was feeling totally humiliated, Jeremiah was looking for a new job, and Kurt was hurting because Blaine was hurting. However, he felt that maybe, very soon, it might be a good time to let Blaine in on his interest. Blaine had been a little surprised to hear that Kurt thought that he would ask him out, but he figured it wouldn’t be a good time to act on that. After all, Kurt was rapidly becoming the best friend he had ever had and a very important person in his life in general. He would be an idiot to mess that up. 

When Pavarotti died though, Blaine couldn’t help but be slapped in the face with all the wonderful things that made up Kurt Hummel. Kurt was ridiculously talented, sensitive, caring, loving, and sure of who he was. All the things that Blaine wanted to be, or improve upon, in his own self. His “public” persona tended to make people think he was this confident, outgoing, charismatic young man, while his inner self struggled to make heads or tails of things. He was absolutely gay – Rachel Berry was instrumental in that definite realization – but who else was he? He was lead singer for The Warblers, yes, but that didn’t define him. But what did?

Blaine wanted Kurt. Suddenly, he was never more sure of anything in his life. As Kurt sang his tribute to Pavarotti, his jaw dropped. He was stunned and he could do nothing but watch his every move. Blaine wouldn’t be surprised if he had even drooled a bit before the song was over. Kurt finished his song and left the room in tears. Blaine allowed him his space, but then made up his mind that it was time to speak to Kurt. The rest of the Warblers filed out of the room leaving Blaine alone to think. He realized that had he actually been successful at the Gap and landed a date with Jeremiah, it probably wouldn’t have lasted. Sure, they had spoken a few times, but Jeremiah was really hard to read and to get information out of. They probably would have been too different. Yes, he decided, making an ass of himself had been a good thing after all.

The next afternoon, Blaine drew up every speck of courage he could and tracked down Kurt. He found Kurt in the common room decorating Pavarotti’s casket. Blaine smiled a bit – it was adorable and a totally Kurt Hummel thing to do. He decided to break the ice by talking about the song he thought they should sing together at Regionals and suggested they should practice.

Kurt looked up at Blaine and said, “Why did you pick me to sing that song with?”

Blaine took a deep breath. This was it. This moment would likely make or break any chance he had with Kurt. Practicing what he preached when he and Kurt first met and letting the courage flow through him, he began to speak.

"Kurt, there is a moment when you say to yourself, 'Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever.’” Blaine felt the need to be closer to Kurt as he continued to speak, placing his hand on top of Kurt’s on the table. "Watching you do 'Blackbird' this week, that was _that_ moment for me. About you. You move me, Kurt. And this duet would just be an excuse to spend more time with you."

Unable to stop himself, he leaned over and connected his lips with Kurt’s. _Oh my god_ , he thought to himself. _I can’t believe how perfect and how right this feels_. He felt Kurt tense up a bit out of surprise but continued. Kurt relaxed a bit into the kiss and reached up to cup Blaine’s cheek with his hand. _Thank you God and all that is holy_ , Blaine thought.

The boys broke apart and Blaine thought Kurt looked a bit overwhelmed and flushed, but also definitely very interested. Blaine felt a little sheepish and stuttered, “We should….we should practice.”

Kurt looked at Blaine and cheekily replied, “I thought we were.”

Feeling bolder now that he knew his advance was welcomed, Blaine leaned in again for another kiss. Their lips moved excitedly together for much longer this time, breaking only when the need for air couldn’t be denied any more.

“Wow,” Kurt breathed.

Blaine took a moment to catch his own breath and said, “I second that motion.”

Laughing, Kurt said, “Blaine, you’ve been with the Warblers too long. You’re starting to sound like Wes and David with that motion business.” Blaine smiled. It was true. Wes, David, and Thad, the Warblers council members, did tend to get overly serious about running the group.

“So… what now?” asked Kurt. “As fabulously beyond words as that was, we should probably talk about this. About us.”

Blaine replied, “I completely agree. I believe that communication is one of the most important things in a relationship. And I don’t want to screw this up.”

“Is that what this is? A relationship?”

Kurt looked a touch on the wary side, Blaine thought. He chose his words carefully. “I meant what I said at the coffee shop back around Valentine’s Day, Kurt. I really care about you. I’m not good at romance, but I would love the opportunity to learn. With you.”

Kurt smiled. “I’d love that, Blaine. If I’m being totally honest, I’ve been extremely interested in being your boyfriend practically since the moment you dragged my underdressed self off that staircase the day I came to spy on you. Now that you are finally ready to give me, us, a chance is like a dream come true to me.”

Returning Kurt’s smile with an even wider one of his own, Blaine said, “Well, that settles it. Kurt Hummel, will you be my boyfriend?” and he held out his hand.

“Blaine Anderson, I’d be delighted,” and Kurt placed his hand in Blaine’s. The two boys embraced, shared a sweet chaste kiss, and headed off to Warblers practice, hand in hand.

They entered the room, and as the other boys noticed Kurt and Blaine’s hands, they gave them a standing ovation. “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” they all said in unison.

Blaine blushed a deep red, while Kurt hid his face in Blaine’s shoulder. However, their embarrassment didn’t loosen the grip they had on each other’s hands.  They both seemed to sense that there was no need, their fellow Warblers were accepting of their new relationship.

Blaine cleared his throat and said, “Um, was it really that obvious?”

The entire room burst into laughter. Jeff scoffed, “No shit, Sherlock!”

Chuckling, Blaine said, “Okay okay, point taken.”

Kurt looked up at their smiling friends and laughed. He said, “Okay, since I know you’re all curious, yes we’re together, yes it happened today, yes we kissed, and no that’s all you’re getting. Now, we’ve got Regionals to win! Let’s get to work!”

With attention successfully diverted from them, Kurt gave Blaine a quick peck on the cheek and joined the rest of the group. Blaine wondered how he had gotten so lucky, and then followed his adorable boyfriend across the room.

Regionals went well, but they still lost to New Directions. Kurt wasn’t really all that surprised. He knew that once Rachel set her mind to something, it would happen, and her powerhouse solo number was the clincher. However, the loss still stung. If it hadn’t been for Karofsky, he’d still be with New Directions and he’d be going with them to New York.

“I just really, really wanted to win,” he sighed.

Blaine stepped closer to Kurt and took one of his hands in both of his. “You did win. So did I. We got each other out of all this. That beats a _lousy trophy_ , don't you think?”

Kurt smiled. “You are absolutely right, Blaine. I truly believe that this is the way things were meant to happen.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

“KURT HUMMEL! You’re HERE!” A tiny long haired brunette threw herself into Kurt’s arms.

“Miss Rachel Berry, hello. I must say, it’s almost good to be here,” he said with a small smile.

Rachel stood back and looked into Kurt’s eyes. “You’re thinking about Blaine, aren’t you?”

Kurt fought back a few tears as he replied, “Yes. I can’t stop thinking about him. I can’t help thinking that it was so unfair that he finally found his way to me, and then just a few days later, a wrench was thrown into our happiness. I can’t be mad at Dad and Carole. Dalton tuition is so expensive and it’s not their fault they can’t keep me there anymore. It just feels too soon for us to have obstacles to overcome.”

“I’m so sorry Kurt. I know you want to be at Dalton, but I do need to tell you that we are ecstatic to have you back. We love you and we love your talent, and with you back, Glee club will just seem right again. We held our own while you were gone, but I think we will be absolutely killer with you here. And now you can go to New York with us!”

Kurt cracked a smile. “Yes, there IS that. I’ve always wanted to go.”

Rachel and Kurt walked down the steps to the main part of McKinley’s outdoor common area. As they neared the bottom, Kurt noticed a piano and some of the orchestra kids setting up with their instruments. Curious, Kurt looked around. From behind him he heard a very familiar voice begin to sing. Kurt inhaled sharply. _Blaine._

_I walked across an empty land_

_I knew the pathway like the back of my hand_

Blaine was about halfway down the steps, and he had Wes and David on either side of him. The rest of the Warblers began to walk down the steps to join them.

_I felt the earth beneath my feet_

_Sat by the river and it made me complete_

All of them continued down the steps to join Kurt where he stood standing, frozen and in disbelief of what was going on. He was being serenaded.

_Oh simple thing, where have you gone?_

_I’m getting old and I need something to rely on_

_Oh tell me when you’re gonna let me in,_

_I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

Blaine then ran down the steps to the curiously placed piano. Oh, that’s what that’s for, thought Kurt. He’d never seen Blaine play piano before and he couldn’t help but think that it was kind of hot.

_And if you have a minute why don’t we go_

_Talk about it somewhere only we know_

_This could be the end of everything_

_So why don’t we go, somewhere only we know_

_Somewhere only we know_

At this point in the song Blaine left the piano to grab Kurt’s hands and pull him the rest of the way down the steps. Kurt’s fellow, well, former fellow, Warblers began to file past him to offer hugs, handshakes, and well wishes to him along with their goodbyes. Oh god, he thought. Not only was this a romantic gesture from Blaine, it was also a farewell from Dalton. Tears began to fill his eyes and he was finding it a bit harder to breathe. The New Directions took over the song to give the Warblers a chance to bid Kurt adieu, and Blaine stood nearby, his vocals floating on the oohs and ahhs.

Finn was next and gave his stepbrother a big smiling hug. It was wonderful for Kurt to see that Finn so pleased to see him. His bestie Mercedes was next and offered a quick welcome back embrace, but quickly released him so he could go back to making eye contact with Blaine.

_This could be the end of everything_

_So why don’t we go somewhere only we know_

_Somewhere only we know._

Blaine had been remarkably calm during the entire song, but he broke into tears as he finished the last note. Kurt immediately threw his arms around Blaine, and Blaine returned the hug fiercely.

“God, I’m going to miss you SO MUCH, Kurt. We’ve only been together a few days and you’re already like my own personal sun. And I’m going to be so worried about you – what are you going to do about Karofsky?”

“My dad and Carole have already made arrangements with Principal Figgins. Through several discussions, they have managed to make him understand that Karofsky’s treatment of me is not okay and should not be allowed to slide. Every possible accommodation has been made to try to keep us out of each other’s paths at all times. Every Glee club member has vowed that they have my back and will do everything in their power to keep me safe. More faculty members will be in the halls between class periods and have all been instructed to watch the students with eagle eyes. And Karofsky is down to one strike – one more major incident, and he will be expelled. Permanently, this time. Dad wanted to get a restraining order, but that would have prevented him from attending school, and they didn’t want that. So you see, they’ve really got me covered.”

“But Kurt, what’s keeping you safe outside of school? It doesn’t matter too much if they’re controlling your school life closely, but what about your personal life?”

“Well, I won’t be driving to and from school alone anymore. Finn and I will always be together in the mornings, and quite a few of the Glee Club members live in my general area. I can take any of them home in the afternoons so I’m not alone. Heck, Santana even lives on my street. And I think you know how scary Santana can be!”

Blaine laughed, “Oh man, ain’t that the truth? As freaked out as I was by that confrontation we had with Karofsky in the hallway, I wanted to bust out laughing when she said she would allow him to choose his right or left nut. That was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“You see why I’m not afraid if I have her around then?” Kurt grinned.

“She could always hire herself out as personal security if she ever needs to find work. I’d hire her!” Blaine stated.

“I wouldn’t let you, sweetie – I don’t need her competing for your body. She may be into girls, but she has expressed to me in the past that she would ‘totally tap that’!”

Blaine chuckled. “Unless she suddenly figures out how to grow an additional appendage, there’s no need to worry. Plus, I’ve gotta say Kurt, one of the physical things I love about you is that you blush when you’re embarrassed. It’s so cute! And I get the idea that there isn’t a thing that could possibly make Santana blush anymore. She’s seen a few too many things by now.”

Nodding his head, Kurt said, “Yes, you’re probably right about that. The term ‘village bike’ has come up a few times.”

The boys shared a chuckle and then Blaine sighed. “Kurt, the guys and I have to get back to Dalton now. We kinda made up a lunchtime nursing home performance to get out of there for a couple hours to come see you. We all wanted a chance to say goodbye to the one who made a seriously big impression on the Warblers.”

This statement again brought tears to Kurt’s eyes. Embracing Blaine, he said, “I may have to say goodbye to them, but I’ll never say goodbye to you.”

“No way,” agreed Blaine. “I will still have time with you after school and on weekends, but they won’t, so I needed to give them this. You have made such an impact, more than you know. I gotta run, Kurt. I will call you the minute Warbler practice is done for the day, okay?”

“I can’t wait. I return to New Directions today as well, so we’ll have to dish about that tonight, too. Have a good day, Blaine, and….. THANK YOU. Really, I truly mean it, and I have to say this was the most special thing that has ever happened to me.”

“Nothing I could do for you will ever be as special as you are, but I’ll keep trying. Talk to you soon!”

Blaine turned around and followed his fellow Warblers back up the common area steps. He stopped just before the top and turned around – Kurt was surrounded by his friends from New Directions, hugs and smiles all around. Blaine felt a little sad that he was not included in that circle of friends, but he was so glad that they all were there for Kurt. With that kind of support, he knew Kurt would be safe, at least during school hours. As far as after school hours, he hoped he would be spending many of those free hours with Kurt, and he would keep watch over him then. Their relationship was so new, but already he felt so protective of Kurt. He wasn’t sure what he would do if something ever happened to him.

Blaine tore his eyes away from his boyfriend and left McKinley. Unbeknownst to him, Karofsky had been lurking amongst the crowd and had seen the whole display. He tried to be disgusted, but instead he felt jealous. He wondered if he would ever be comfortable enough with himself to have such a wonderful relationship with another person. He was beginning to come to terms with the fact that that other person in his future relationship would most likely be male. And observing Kurt and Blaine together only made that realisation grow stronger.

_XXXXXXXXX_

_I think I’ll try defying gravity, kiss me goodbye I’m defying gravity…_ Kurt’s cell phone rang. He rolled his eyes. Somehow Rachel got hold of a recording of them singing the song together and was able to sneak his phone away from him long enough to load it as his default ringtone. _Hmmm…we do sound rather good_ , he thought. _I just hope this isn’t the recording where I purposely bombed that high note_.

Oops. He had stood there listening to them sing for too long, and the phone stopped ringing. He checked the caller ID and noticed it was Blaine. He waited for just a few more moments and the phone began to ring again. Blaine had already learned a few quirks about Kurt, and one of them was that his standing listening to the ring tone rather than answering the phone is not an uncommon thing. He always gave Kurt two chances to snap out of his daze and answer before he gave up and left a message.

Kurt pressed the accept button and immediately he heard Blaine’s voice from the receiver. “Kurt, were you singing along to your phone again?”

He had to laugh. “No Blaine, this time I was merely listening to it. Rachel sneaked a recording of our very first diva-off onto my phone as the ring tone. I was merely thinking about how awesome we are when we’re singing together.”

Blaine smiled. “Of that, I have no doubt, Kurt. You two are far and away the most talented people in New Directions. Well, Mercedes and Artie are up there too, but you two? When you two manage to get yourself discovered, you’re going to have to be passing up jobs and roles left and right because there simply won’t be enough time to do all of them.”

“Oh Blaine,” Kurt said. “You seriously overestimate me sometimes. But I do like hearing how wonderful I am. Keep going.”

Blaine absolutely adored Kurt’s playful moods. “Well, I can either continue to compliment you, or I can get on with what I originally planned on doing when I called you tonight.”

“Well well well, Blaine Anderson, you have my attention. Though I must tell you, if your statement ends in wink wink nudge nudge, I’m going to have to pass until we’re in the same town as each other.”

“Oh my gosh, Kurt, you are so cute sometimes! But really, I was going to ask you if you would like to go on our first official date this weekend? I know we’ve been out together before, but this time I can sit next to you instead of across from you, maybe hold your hand or rest my hand on your leg, do the ol’ yawn and wrap my arm around your shoulders trick, that kind of thing.”

Kurt began to feel giddy. This was so exciting!

“Kurt, are you still there? I didn’t make you run away screaming, did I?”

“Goodness no, Blaine! Totally the opposite! I’d LOVE to! Where should we go? What should I wear? Do I have time to have the girls over and have them give me a mani/pedi?”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Kurt, chill out a bit! You are absolutely adorable, but you make me dizzy with your enthusiasm.” Blaine had to grin – his boyfriend was the cutest thing since newborn kittens. “Don’t worry about primping yourself up all fancy or anything – the guy I’m totally crazy about could wear anything and still look totally fabulous and unique. I’m sure even if you were forced to wear paper bags all your life, you would be whipping out your tackle box full of glitter and sequins and making it into an original Kurt Hummel creation celebrities would pay thousands for.”

“You flatter me, sir. But seriously, are you going to tell me, or is this going to be a surprise that I will have to obsess over until we go out?”

To tell the truth, Blaine actually hadn’t fully settled on any ideas yet. Everyone in Lima went to Breadstix on their dates – that was overdone and boring, and their food sucked, too. Sucky food would NOT do for a perfect first date with THE Kurt Hummel.

“It’s going to be a surprise, but don’t worry. You’ll love it, and it will be perfect for us.”

Kurt was already giddy. He couldn’t wait – not only would this be their first date, it’d be HIS first date, too. He wished he had some sort of idea of what to expect but no worries, he would be fabulously attired regardless.

The two boys chatted for a little while longer and by the time they both hung up, there were big smiles on their faces and even bigger plans forming in their minds.


	3. Chapter 3

The weekend came up too quickly for Blaine, not so much for Kurt. Kurt had everything all planned out within an hour of hanging up the phone, but Blaine was still stumped. He wanted to be romantic, but not overly so. He also wanted to make a good impression because he was hoping to get some more of those fabulous kisses that they hadn’t been able to share again since that time in the Dalton common room. Blaine could tell that Kurt wanted to kiss again too, but the timing just never felt quite right. He had a feeling that Kurt was even shyer in that respect than he had first thought. He would have to move slowly, like glacially slow, in order not to scare him off.

Finally, he decided to give up trying to figure it out for himself and to drop in on Wes’ dorm room for a chat. Wes had had a girlfriend for a couple of years now. Kurt liked many things that girls like – certainly Wes had to be of SOME help.

The visit proved fruitful. With a little help from a few more of the Warblers, he had a great plan all lined up. He would owe his buddies big time, but that was okay. It didn’t take much to figure out that Kurt was worth the effort.

Blaine drove up to the Hummel/Hudson abode five minutes early at exactly 5:55pm. He took a deep breath, got out of the car, and reached for the doorbell just as he was nearly run over by an excited Kurt barreling out the door.

“You’re here!” Kurt exclaimed and then immediately wrapped his arms around Blaine for a big hug.

“Well, if that’s the kind of greeting I get, I’m gonna come over to your house a lot more often,” Blaine grinned.

“Dammit! Blaine Anderson, you have discovered my evil plan.”

“It’s not your plan that’s evil, Kurt. It’s that pout you’re giving me right now. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to resist that face!”

“Oooh, you shouldn’t have said that, Blaine. I might have to exploit that little bit of information.”

Blaine chuckled and held out his elbow. “I’ll have to take my chances. Shall we go?”

Kurt grabbed his arm and held on tight. “YES! I’ve been driving Rachel and Mercedes nuts these last couple of days about this date. As of yesterday, I was no longer allowed to call either one of them until our date was over. Of course, they also mentioned that I was absolutely REQUIRED to call them once I got home.”

Blaine started the car and started heading back in the direction of Dalton Academy. “That sounds like Rachel and Mercedes.”

Kurt decided now was a good time to try to drag information out of Blaine. He figured he’d start by grabbing his hand and see where that got him. “So, Mr. Anderson. Where are you kidnapping me to? I noticed we’re on the road leading to Dalton – are we going there?”

Blaine smiled. Hand in hand was good, but he was starting to really want to touch more than Kurt’s hand. “Well, I can tell you we are NOT going to Dalton. I can tell you that we ARE going somewhere that’s about halfway between here and Dalton. And I can tell you that you will never guess exactly WHERE that somewhere is, so please sit back and enjoy the ride and the anticipation.”

“Oh, all right. Phooey. You’re no fun. But hey – that means we’ll be in the car for a little bit! We should put on some music and sing 'til we get there! One of my favorite things to do in the car is sing really loud until I can barely talk the next day!” Kurt plugged in the iPod he whipped out of the messenger bag he carried with him everywhere he went.

“Raise Your Glass, Kurt? Really?” Blaine scoffed.

“Hey, no hating on the P!nk! And for that matter, no hating on the Blaine, either. This was my absolute favorite of any of the Warbler songs I know. I have it on good authority that while Candles wasn’t exactly the best choice for us (though I cherished singing it with you, don’t get me wrong), Raise Your Glass is what made my friends from New Directions terrified that we were going to beat them at Regionals. According to them, we were in rare form.”

Blaine sighed. “Well, I guess we weren’t in rare form enough form, huh? We still lost.”

“Oh come on, Blaine. Cheer up! You’re the one who told me that the trophy didn’t matter. Sing along! You can NOT listen to this song and not ‘get dancy!’” Blaine chuckled and started singing along. Kurt was dancing around in his seat, and both were doing as much of the choreography as they could. Blaine, of course, had to limit the hand gestures because he was driving, but he was able to let go just long enough to put his hands out for the words “dirty little freaks.” He had to – he knew the look on his face with that phrase always made Kurt laugh, and this time was no different. The song ended, and after a few songs, Kurt turned off the iPod and leaned back. Blaine glanced over and noticed that Kurt was staring at him with a soft smile on his face.

“What? Do I have food on my face or something?” he asked reaching up with his hand, pretending to check his mouth.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Kurt replied. “It’s just that, Blaine, I am SO happy to be out with you tonight. I couldn’t care less if we were going out to pick up roadkill off the highway with our bare hands. As long as I am with you, I’ll be very happy.”

“Aw darn it, Kurt! You ruined the surprise. I thought we’d go with the You Kill It, We Grill It concept for our dinner.”

Kurt playfully slapped Blaine on the shoulder. “Oh you! You know what I mean, though. We need this. These last few weeks have been so hectic. I am looking forward to just BEING for awhile. Just being a boy…quickly falling for another truly wonderful boy.”

Blaine was thankful they were just pulling up to their destination, because his eyes were beginning to cloud up and his heart was in his throat. He pulled into a parking lot and turned to face Kurt. “Really, Kurt? You’re falling for me?”

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hands again and looked deeply into his chocolaty brown eyes. “Yes Blaine, I am totally falling for you. How could I not? You are everything I could hope for.”

Blaine rubbed his hand across his eyes to clear the moisture he felt gathering there. He took a breath and said “Thank God, Kurt, because I’ve been feeling the same way. I know we haven’t been together long, but I can really picture us hanging in there for the long haul. I pray every night that vision is true.”

Kurt bit his lower lip, which incidentally drove Blaine crazy in a really good way, and leaned in for a bone crushing hug. Blaine decided that this was as good of a time as any and pressed his lips gently to Kurt’s, hoping upon hope that he wouldn’t pull away. To Blaine’s delight Kurt leaned into the kiss and deepened it. Kurt put his hands on the back of Blaine’s neck and pulled him closer. Finally, needing to breathe, they separated. Both boys were panting a bit as they worked to calm themselves.

“Holy crap,” breathed Kurt. “Just why is it that we haven’t done that more often?”

Blaine was surprised. “To be honest, I’ve wanted to do that again practically every moment I’ve been around you, but I wasn’t sure you’d be ready for it. I kind of sprang it on you the first time, and believe me, Kurt; I do not want to do ANYTHING you don’t want to do.”

“Well for the record, Mr. Anderson, you never have to wonder if I want to be kissed, nor do you have to ask if you can kiss me. The answer is always, ALWAYS going to be yes.” Blaine’s smile grew as wide as his face as he hugged his boyfriend again. Not wanting to get too carried away, though, he didn’t go in for another kiss. After all, they had a date to start.

“So, Blaine, we’re here. Why have you brought me to this parking lot in the middle of nowhere?” Kurt looked around. In his mind he thought this place looked kind of like a place a serial killer might bring his victim, so he was somewhat worried. Thank God he wore his skinny jeans and Doc Martens, because if he had worn anything fancier, he would have been severely worried about the state his clothing might be in at the end of the evening.

“Never fear, Kurt. This LOOKS like a parking lot in the middle of nowhere, but I promise you, if you walk down that little pathway in between the trees over there, you will find something that I hope will put a big smile on your face.” Intrigued, Kurt began to follow the path. It didn’t take long to break through the tree line and arrive at a small clearing. He looked around and gasped. In front of him was a small folding table and chairs on a large picnic basket. The table was set with cloth napkins, crystal goblets, candlesticks, and domed dishes. Off to the side were some cozy looking pillows, more blankets, and some sort of sheet tied between two trees.

“H-how….How did you do this, Blaine? This looks incredible.”

Blaine took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. It looked as if Kurt liked what he saw, which was Blaine’s biggest worry. “Well, I did some research, and I enlisted some Warbler friends who are also enrolled in cooking classes at Dalton to help. Behind that line of trees there across the way is a housing development. David’s family lives back there. Jeff and Thad are the ones taking cooking classes, and they are really good cooks, as is David’s mom. They all got together at David’s house, cooked our meal, and set it all up for us. You didn’t notice, but while we were jamming to Gaga just before we got here, I got a text saying all was perfect. C’mon, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Kurt was speechless. No one had ever done anything like this for him before in his life. He had no idea how he got so lucky as to be the one Blaine wanted to be with, but he silently reaffirmed his vow to do everything in his power to deserve it. He gave Blaine a quick peck on the cheek and grabbed his hand. He proceeded to skip to the table, dragging an unprepared Blaine behind him. Luckily before Blaine could fall flat on his rear end, they arrived at the table and Blaine held out Kurt’s chair. “Why thank you, Mr. Anderson,” Kurt said. “Your manners are lovely.”

“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Hummel. Shall we dine?”

Blaine whipped the dome off Kurt’s plate with a flourish and was pleased to note that the food looked delicious. He knew David’s mom could cook well, but he wasn’t sure about Jeff and Thad, and he had just prayed that she wouldn’t let them serve subpar food. Kurt was pleased to note that not only did the food look delicious, it looked healthy, too. He was so used to eating healthy, what with his dad’s heart condition, that he just couldn’t stomach greasy calorie laden food anymore.  Seasoned baked fish, a fresh vegetable medley, and brown rice was all arranged artfully on the plate.

Blaine looked expectantly at Kurt, hoping to hear a positive reaction. “It’s perfect, Blaine. Absolutely perfect. Thank you so much.” The boys dug into their food. Normally Blaine would’ve preferred a big steak or a pile of fried chicken, but he knew that wasn’t Kurt’s style. He would have eaten roots and tofu for Kurt, so fish and veggies was a step up.

They finished their food and Blaine rubbed his hands together. “Well! Onto the next part of our evening. The sheet you see between the trees is actually a makeshift movie screen. I have a projector over here in this box – I thought we’d have our own private movie screening tonight!”

Kurt clapped his hands together and let out a small squeal. Blaine thought that was the cutest noise ever and vowed to make Kurt make happy sounds like that more often. “Oooh what are we seeing? Did you pick something good?”

Blaine grabbed a handful of DVDs out of the box. “Having looked at your DVD shelf before, these are the ones from my collection that I think you would most enjoy.”

Kurt browsed through the pile. “Bambi? Really, Blaine?”

“Sure, what’s wrong with Bambi? It’s classic Disney.”

Kurt shook his head and laughed. “Blaine, one of the most embarrassing moments of my LIFE had me wandering the halls of McKinley drunk off my ass and quoting this ‘classic Disney’ movie.” He then told the tale of how he ran into Miss Pillsbury in the hallway. She had some serious doe eyes, so one could understand why, in his inebriated state, he mistook her for Bambi. Blaine had to stifle a giggle when Kurt told him that he said “Oh _Bambi_ , I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy!” to Miss Pillsbury, but when he got to the part about spewing all over her shoes and causing the severely OCD guidance counselor to go to the hospital for a decontamination shower, he literally rolled around on the blanket laughing.

“Oh Kurt, no wonder you volunteered to be the designated driver at Rachel’s party! I can see never wanting to drink again after such an ordeal!”

Kurt pouted – he did NOT enjoy being laughed at. “Yeah, well, seeing you macking all over Rachel Berry doesn’t exactly make alcohol look very attractive, either.”

Blaine immediately stopped laughing and turned to Kurt. “I am so sorry, Kurt. I guess I was just too far gone to realize what seeing me kiss someone else, especially a girl, would do to you, especially knowing then that you were interested in me.”

“It’s okay, Blaine, really….” Kurt said slowly.

Blaine called him on his hesitancy. “No, Kurt, it wasn’t okay. We both know that. I can’t totally regret my actions, though. I really did need that experience. Not the drunkenness, but I did need to know for sure that I had no attraction to girls. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it the other way around and get together and find out later that I actually did like girls. I just wish I had gone about it differently.”

“I’m glad you figured it out. And I am REALLY glad you don’t want to be with Rachel. She is hard to deal with anyway, but when she switches from girl friend to girlfriend mode?  I have two words for you. Then three more. Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.”

Blaine laughed. “Point, and warning, taken, Kurt. Do you forgive me?”

“Of course. There’s nothing to forgive. We weren’t together then, you got yourself figured out, we’re together now, so it’s all good. It’s all REALLY good. Now, I can’t say that I’m all that excited to watch Bambi and live the memory of that fateful day in my mind yet again, so I think I’ll go with Hairspray.”

Blaine and Kurt snuggled up together amongst the soft pillows. Blaine didn’t concentrate too much on the movie. How could he? Kurt inched closer and closer to him as the movie played until his head was resting on Blaine’s chest. When they got to the part of the movie with the march, Kurt began to very softly sing along with Queen Latifah as she sang _I Know Where I’ve Been_. Queen Latifah had some pipes, but Kurt’s beautiful countertenor voice never failed to send shivers down Blaine’s spine. He reached both arms around Kurt and kissed him on top of his head. Kurt looked up at Blaine, smiled, and snuggled in even more closely into Blaine.

By the time the movie ended, Kurt had fallen asleep on Blaine. As much as he hated to do so, he needed to wake Kurt. They both had curfews that they were in danger of missing if they didn’t leave fairly soon. Blaine gently shook Kurt and said “Kurt, sweetheart, we need to get going. We don’t want your dad and Carole to worry.”

“Oh, okay. I’m sorry I fell asleep. I was just so comfortable in your arms.”

“Believe me, Kurt, waking you was the last thing I wanted to do, but I also don’t want to lessen my chances of taking you out again by getting you home late.”

Blaine got up and started packing up the movies. The projector, screen, movies, and pillows would all come home with him, but the rest would be picked up by his Warbler pals as soon as he gave them the all clear to come and get it. He had everything ready to go by the time Kurt had woken up enough to make the trip back to the car. Kurt waited until Blaine had gotten a few steps ahead of him before he did a little jig and squealed silently.

_“He called me SWEETHEART!”_

**xXxXxXx**

After he got home, Kurt conference called Rachel and Mercedes and dished about his evening. The girls squealed so loud Kurt was unsure his hearing would ever be the same again, but couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. He was determined to act more civilized. Well, at least until he got off the phone, anyway. Once his conversation with his two best girls ended, he crawled beneath his duvet, wishing the pillow he cuddled up to was the beautiful boy he had just spent the best night of his life with.


	4. Chapter 4

“Give me your hand,” Kurt commanded Blaine. “Blaine Warbler, will you go to junior prom with me?”

“Prom?” Blaine asked skeptically.

“It’ll be the social event of the season!” Kurt’s heart sank a little bit. “What’s wrong, you don’t want to go with me?”

“No, no, no, it’s not that at all. But prom? Somehow I got the feeling that you wouldn’t want to go to prom.”

“What makes you think that? It’s the chance to get all dressed up in formal attire, and you’ve gotta admit, lazy old Lima doesn’t exactly give us that many opportunities for fancy outfits. Not to mention, all that dancing gives me the opportunity to hang onto my amazing boyfriend all night long.”

“Kurt, at my old school there was a Sadie Hawkins dance. I had JUST come out so I asked a friend of mine, the only other gay guy in the school, to go with me. While we were waiting for his dad to pick us up, these three guys came up and….beat the living crap out of us.”

Kurt gasped. “Oh no, Blaine, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Kurt. We both escaped with multiple cuts and bruises, but no permanent damages. Physically, anyway. For me, it was the last straw, and it was what finally sent me to Dalton. I would love nothing more than to go to prom with you and spend a wonderful evening together, but I’m afraid for you. Your track record with this school isn’t great as it is.”

“Well, Blaine, you KNOW that’s through no fault of mine.” Kurt was a little offended by Blaine’s words. He thought Blaine was insinuating something. Blaine was quick to pick up on that and quickly reassured his boyfriend.

“No Kurt, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, I don’t want to see you hurt. You’ve gone through enough already. You are a strong, strong person, but I still can’t help being afraid that one more incident might be the straw that breaks the camel and I might lose you. Emotionally, and/or God forbid, physically.”

Kurt’s eyes grew glassy and tears threatened to fall. It was so new to him to have these kind of feelings directed towards him from someone else. Sure, his dad and Carole loved him as parents, Finn loved him as a brother, and the New Directions kids loved him as a very good friend, but this significant other thing was totally new territory for him. He squeezed the hand that he was still holding and spoke. “It’s going to be okay, Blaine. Everyone in the Glee club is going. We will never be left alone. And Mr. Schue will be a chaperone. He knows how to contact Dad and Carole if anything happens. Even the Lima police will be lurking. Not in the gym, but nearby. They don’t have much to do in this town so they practically salivate at the thought of catching kids having sex behind the school or underage drinking. We. Will. Be. Safe. I promise. But, I have to say, Blaine, that if it makes you uncomfortable at all, we’ll just forget about prom. We’ll go to a movie instead.”

“I am crazy about you.”

“Soooo… I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Yes.”

Kurt squealed. Blaine smiled, “Yes, you and I are going to the prom.”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” Kurt slid his arms around his boyfriend and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I’ve already got my outfit all planned out!”

Several days later, Blaine was visiting Kurt’s house and hanging out with Burt and Finn while Kurt was preparing to model his outfit for prom.

“What are you going to go with?” asked Burt.

Blaine replied, “I’m going simple. Black, thin lapel collar, very discreet.”

Kurt, however, was the opposite of discreet. He bounced into the living room, eager to show off his design. He was wearing a short black jacket, white shirt, bow tie, and….. a plaid kilt.

“Dude, that rocks!” exclaimed Finn. “It’s like Gay Braveheart.”

“I don’t like it,” stated Burt.

Kurt scoffed. “Of course you don’t like it.”

“I gotta be honest. I think you’re trying to stir the pot a little bit. I think you’re just trying to get attention.”

“Exactly. What’s the point of dressing up? Blaine, help me out here.”

“I think your dad has a point. I think what he’s trying to say is that we just don’t want to give anyone a reason to cause any trouble.”

“All they’re looking for is a match to light under the fire of their hate. I want you to be yourself, but I also want you to be practical.”

“I have done everything right. Now Blaine, I understand that after what you’ve been through, you’re worried. But prom is about joy, not about fear.  So I’m wearing this suit. I worked hard on it and I think it’s fantastic. And if you don’t want to join me, I completely understand.” Kurt huffed and then left the room.

“Crap.” Blaine put his head in his hands. Burt came up to Blaine, patted him on the shoulder, and left the room. He said to Finn, “I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I have a bad feeling about this, but he’s going to do it anyway, so I might as well go so I can keep my own eyes on him.”

Finn got up to leave, but before he did, he said, “Blaine, I know we keep telling you this, but we’ve got your back. Both of you. To tell you the truth, I think Puck is dying to inflict blood loss on Karofsky. If he even breathes funny, he’s ours.”

“Thanks, Finn. I better go assure my boyfriend that he still has a date. If I know him, he’s in his room just about ready to cry.”

**xXxXxXx**

Prom was two weeks later. As Blaine had predicted, Kurt had been sitting on his window seat, staring out the window with the biggest frowny face that Blaine had ever seen. Luckily for Blaine, all he had needed to do was give him a big hug and tell him that he was still onboard with prom and however Kurt wanted to dress. Like magic, the frown was turned upside down, and Blaine was shooed out the door – Kurt had apparently had more sewing or bedazzling or whatever to do to his kilt. Blaine liked being fashionable, but the mechanics of it all just went over his head.

He had to admit, though. Even though he had his concerns about the kilt, Kurt wore the hell out of it. Blaine actually thought it was kinda hot, and he found himself thinking that if they had already been at “that” point in their relationship, that kilt would have made certain activities rather convenient.

He couldn’t think about that now, though. After Sam, Puck, and Artie did an admirable job trying to make that hideous Friday song slightly better than it was, it was his turn up on stage. The band Figgins had booked canceled, and he had enlisted the New Directions members to provide the live music for the night. He had chosen a very catchy song called “I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You.” Blaine thoroughly enjoyed his time up on stage. Performing with the Warblers, even though he was the lead soloist, did not provide him with any way to just be himself. Up on the prom stage however, he could be all kinds of silly and goofy, and he was really excited that it was cool with them that he performed as well. Kurt had to admit, he loved seeing this side of his boyfriend.

Figgins stepped up to the microphone. “It is now time to announce this year’s prom court. Would all the candidates please step up to the stage?”

Kurt noticed Quinn walk on stage. Alone. He wondered where Finn had gone. Quinn looked equal parts angry and distraught. He hoped she would win prom queen. Not just because she wanted it so bad, but because it would save everyone else from hearing her obsess about winning. She had an extremely unhealthy fixation on the prom queen title, and she was driving everyone else nuts in the process, especially Finn.

“McKinley High’s 2011 Prom King is……. David Karofsky!” The members of last year’s court placed his crown on his head and his scepter in his hand. He then went to sit on his throne.

“And now, after carefully counting the votes three times, our 2011 Prom Queen is… Mr. Kurt Hummel.”

“ _Oh fuck_ ,” Blaine breathed. This was not going to be pretty.

Kurt’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He was stunned. The murmurs and laughter of the crowd began to echo in his head. He couldn’t hear anything else. He vaguely heard someone calling his name, but he just couldn’t do anything about it. His brain finally broke through and started chanting Run. Run Kurt. Run. Run. Run.

So he did.

**xXxXxXx**

“KURT! Kurt, no! Please stop! KURT!” Blaine yelled as he chased Kurt out of the gymnasium. He could hear people laughing behind him, and he couldn’t ever remember being this furious in his life. Ever.

“Oh Kurt, honey…” Blaine said as he saw Kurt curled up in a little ball on the floor in a corner, sobbing.  He slowly went to him and sat down next to him, throwing a comforting arm around his shoulders, but Kurt wasn’t having any of that. He simply just couldn’t be consoled at that moment in time.

“How could they do this to me, Blaine? Why me? The only thing I’ve ever done is dare to be myself. I’m a good person, I make good grades, I don’t get into trouble, I help people with their French, I’m good to my dad. So what if I wear clothing right off the runway? So what if I prefer show tunes to hard rock? And so what if I prefer to spend my time with a boy instead of a girl? What harm am I doing? I don’t shove it in their faces. I don’t want to convert anyone over to my ways. I just want to be ME. Blaine, why won’t people let me be me?”

“They’re jealous, sweetie. They see someone who has more talent in their little finger than most of them do put together, and they know that he has a chance to make something of himself, and they are not that sure of their own selves. They’re terrified of being stuck in Lima all their lives, and they can’t stand to see someone else get out, so they make his life miserable instead. Some people just aren’t happy until they have company wallowing in their misery with them. Don’t fall for that bullshit, Kurt. You are far more than they will ever be, and I don’t ever want you to believe otherwise.”

“Here I thought things were getting better. I wasn’t getting harassed anymore, and I wasn’t hearing any whispers or names being called behind my back. No one would talk to me, still, but it was better than being called names that I am too horrified to repeat. But I guess the reason everyone was so quiet is that they just didn’t want to leak the details of Operation Humiliate the Gay Boy. So much for me thinking things were getting better.”

“Kurt…”

“No Blaine. Please know that I mean no offense to you when I say this, but I think I’m going to break down even more than I already have if I hear one more soothing word. I want to be MAD, Blaine. Get mad with me. I am SEETHING. My humiliation is feeding the absolute RAGE I have flowing through my body. Please don’t try to calm me. I just want to be angry.”

“Fuck yeah, I’m mad, Kurt. Oops, pardon my French.”

“That wasn’t French, Blaine, you forget who you’re talking to.”

Blaine was glad to hear just a little of Kurt’s sense of humor breaking through. He knew that if Kurt would joke, he would be okay. Not right away, but it would be better.

“Okay Kurt, you got me. What do you want to do, Kurt? Did you want to leave? I am at your disposal. Whatever you want to do is what we’ll do.”

Kurt took a deep breath. “You know what, Blaine? I’m going to go back in there and get coronated. The Neanderthals at this school probably figured they have finally broken me down for good this time. They’re probably thinking that they’ll be rid of me for good. Well, that’s not how Hummels do it. We Hummels are strong and don’t take any crap from anyone. Nope, I’m going to march my fabulous ass right back in the gym, I’m going to get my crown, and I am NOT going to let those ASSHOLES get me down!”

“YES!” Blaine did a fist pump. “THAT’S my boy!” He jumped up and threw his arms around Kurt. “You go get ‘em, tiger. Chew ‘em up, spit ‘em out, and let ‘em know they can all go to hell.”

“I’m gonna show them that it doesn’t matter if they are yelling at me or whispering behind my back.  That they _can’t. Touch. Me._ That they can’t touch us. Or what we have,” Kurt said as he flung open the door to the gym and marched in.

The gym got eerily silent as the entire student body faced the stage to see what Kurt would do. He stepped up to Figgins and said, “I am ready for my crown.”

Figgins did a double take, but then directed last year’s court to go ahead and crown him with the queen’s crown and scepter.

“And now, to follow tradition, the King and Queen are supposed to dance together.”

“No. Uh uh. You are NOT going to make me dance with Lady Lips over there. I am a man, and I do not dance with boys.” Karofsky threw his crown and scepter to the floor and stomped offstage. Kurt was left standing at the edge of the stage alone, head down and eyes closed, feeling the humiliation seep in once again. All his previous confidence was gone.

“Pardon me, may I have this dance?” Kurt opened his eyes and saw a hand reaching out to him. Blaine was standing there with a hopeful look in his eyes.

“I’d be honored.”

The New Directions had originally planned on singing Dancing Queen as the prom king and queen’s first dance number, but they didn’t feel right using that one considering what had just happened. They quickly conferred and then Santana stepped up to the stage.

_Made a wrong turn, once or twice  
Dug my way out, blood and fire  
Bad decisions, that's alright  
Welcome to my silly life. _

Kurt and Blaine smiled. They both recognized the song the club had chosen, and they had chosen well.

_Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood.  
Miss 'No way, it's all good', it didn't slow me down.  
Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated.  
Look, I'm still around.  
  
Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel  
Like you're less than, less than perfect.  
Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing,  
You are perfect to me  
  
You're so mean when you talk about yourself; you were wrong.  
Change the voices in your head; make them like you instead.  
So complicated, look happy, you'll make it  
Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game.  
It's enough; I've done all I can think of.  
Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same.  
  
Woah ohh, pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel  
Like you're less than less than perfect.  
Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing,  
You are perfect to me.  
  
The whole world's scared so I swallow the fear.  
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer.  
So cool in line, and we try try try, but we try too hard and it's a waste of my time.  
Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere.  
They don’t like my jeans; they don't get my hair.  
Exchange ourselves, and we do it all the time.  
Why do we do that? Why do I do that?  
  
Why do I do that? _

Blaine reached his hand up to touch Kurt’s cheek and began to sing along with the song. _  
  
Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel  
Like you're less than, less than perfect.  
Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel  
Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me, yeahhh.  
You're perfect, you're perfect  
Ohh pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel  
Like you're nothin' you are perfect to me._

Kurt looked at his boyfriend adoringly. Even though he was pretty sure the song wasn’t Blaine’s idea, him singing along with it did wonders to restore his confidence.

Blaine whispered in Kurt’s ear, “I know you said that you would always want to kiss me and that I never needed to ask you, but I figure this is kind of a special circumstance. I REALLY want to kiss you right now, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. You can tell me no and I will be totally okay with it.”

“Blaine, shut up and kiss me. Just don’t go overboard – there’s some things that even the ones who are okay with us together don’t need to see.”

Blaine’s smile grew a mile wide and and he dove in for the kiss before Kurt could change his mind. Amazingly, there were no catcalls or exclamations of disgust when the two boys kissed. Blaine thought perhaps they finally gained some respect for Kurt when he was brave enough to come back to accept his crown. Blaine didn’t personally know anyone who had that kind of courage besides Kurt. He knew that Kurt’s personal motto was Courage, and he had it in spades. He was so proud to be with Kurt.

Perhaps there was hope for the students of McKinley High yet.

Or perhaps not.

**xXxXxXx**

After the prom had come to a close, Kurt and Blaine headed off towards Kurt’s Navigator to head home, only to find Karofsky leaning up against it.

“Haven’t I gotten rid of you yet, Homo? I bully you, I threaten to kill you, and finally you transfer to another school. But then you come BACK and darken my doorstep once again. I get everyone off your back in exchange for their silence **and** their vote for you for prom queen, and what the hell? You accept the fucking crown? You’re like a turd that won’t flush! You just won’t go away!”

“YOU were responsible for me being prom queen? You ASSHOLE! What the hell were you thinking? Why the hell are you so afraid to have me around?”

“Please, I’m not afraid of you. I’m just trying to rid the school of the freaks, and I’m starting with YOU and your fairy boyfriend over there!”

“Don’t you DARE insult my boyfriend. And you ARE afraid, Karofksy! Afraid I’m going to tell the school that I catch you checking out the other guys’ butts in the hallway!”

“I do not!”

“You’re afraid that I’m going to tell everyone that you KISSED me in the locker room!”

“I did not! I tripped and fell into you.”

“Face first, Karofsky? And with TONGUE?”

“That did not happen!”

“Afraid that my gayness is going to rub off on you? I hate to tell you Karofsky, but my gayness did NOT rub off on you – it was there all along. When are you going to admit it? When are you going to admit that YOU are GAY?”

At that moment, the boys heard a gasp from a few yards away. The New Directions members were there to find Kurt and Blaine, and apparently at least Rachel had heard what had been said.

Karofsky looked around in panic and started drawing his fist back. Puck shouted “NO!” and arrived just in time to catch Karofsky’s fist from landing on Kurt’s face.

“Get in the car, Kurt. Take Blaine with you.”

“Puck, don’t do this. You can’t afford to go back to juvie!”

“I’m not going to do anything that’s going to get me sent back. Just get in the car.”

Kurt and Blaine obeyed and got into the Navigator.

“You might not do anything, but I’m going to,” seethed Finn. While Karofsky was distracted, Finn clocked him right in the jaw. It may have been a sucker punch, but Karofsky had some pounds on him – it wouldn’t have been a fair fight, even with Puck holding him back.

By then the Lima police officers patrolling the neighborhood had shown up to investigate the disturbance. Upon finding out that Karofsky had had a well documented record of harassing Kurt in the past, they cuffed him and took him to the station for his parents to pick him up.

“Oh Kurt, I am so glad you’re okay,” said Blaine. The boys had been wrapped in each other’s arms since they had gotten inside the car. They had gotten into the back so they could hold each other without being separated by the center console.

“Kurt! Blaine! You guys can come out now, he’s gone!” shouted Rachel, pounding on the locked doors.

Blaine opened the side door, got out, and then held out a hand to help Kurt out. “Guys, I think we’re a bit shaken up. We’re going to take a raincheck on the post prom food binge and I’m just going to get Kurt home. I hope you understand.”

“No problem,” said Mercedes. “You just take care of my boy.”

“I will, I promise. I know not to cross you,” Blaine joked.

“Damn straight,” she smiled back.

The boys said their quick goodbyes to their friends and Kurt handed over the keys to Blaine. Normally he didn’t let anyone drive his baby, but he had had too much drama for one night and just didn’t feel up to driving the four miles home.

Kurt was exhausted – he fell asleep just one mile away from the school. Even though the drive had been short and most likely Kurt wasn’t deeply asleep yet, Blaine still felt bad about waking him up. Kurt woke up just enough to unsteadily propel himself into the house, up the stairs, and fall onto his bed. Blaine peeled his shoes, jacket, and bow tie off him. He contemplated the kilt, but decided to leave that – Blaine wasn’t quite sure how Kurt would feel at this point in their relationship about having major garments removed from his body without him knowing. He didn’t want Kurt to freak out. He tucked Kurt in and smoothed his hair. With a kiss on the forehead, Blaine turned out the light and left the room.

Burt was waiting for the boys in the living room. He found it strange that Blaine and Kurt went right to Kurt’s room without stopping to greet him, but he went with it, knowing he’d get an explanation eventually.

Blaine noticed him waiting and went in to speak with him. “I’m going to let Kurt go into all the details with you tomorrow as it is a very long story and I’d like to get home myself, but suffice it to say, it didn’t go well. A few things happened, but your son has heroic amounts of courage and he simply amazes me. I am so proud of him. And I am thankful he has such good friends in the Glee club as they came to our rescue a couple of times tonight as well. Kurt is so special. We all need to keep reminding him of that.”

“Thanks Blaine,” replied Burt. “I know you don’t want to get into it right now, but I do need to know, is my boy physically harmed or in trouble due to anything that may have happened tonight?”

“No, thankfully all is well on those fronts.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll talk with him after he wakes up. You look wiped out yourself. The couch is free if you want to just stay here tonight.”

“No, thanks for the offer, but I need to have a little time to deal with the things that happened tonight, myself. I just want to be at home in my own bed and sleep for a couple of years at this point.”

“Be careful, kid. Send me a text when you get home so I know you arrived safely. Kurt will have my ass in a sling if I let anything happen to you.”

“I’ll do that, Mr. Hummel. And I’ll have my cell phone on and next to me during the night. If for some reason he needs me, please let me know.”

“Call me Burt, kiddo. I think you’ve earned the right to be on a first name basis with me by now.”

Blaine smiled. “Sounds great, Burt. Good night.”

“Good night, Blaine.”


	5. Chapter 5

“What’s this I hear about you coming out of a motel room with Sam, Kurt?”

Kurt did that strange thing that everyone seems to do when the voice coming from the telephone confuses them – he took it away from his ear and stared at it. “Wait… what? What are you talking about, Blaine?”

“I have it on good authority that last night, you were observed coming out of a cheap motel in Lima Heights with a Mr. Sam Evans, and my sources say you were touching him. I ALSO heard that Sam was seen wearing YOUR tan jacket in school yesterday.”

Kurt sighed in relief. All this was true, of course, but there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. But wait a minute… why did Blaine automatically think there wasn’t a perfectly reasonable explanation?

“Blaine Anderson! Just what are you insinuating here?”

“I think you KNOW what I’m insinuating, seeing as how you just totally avoided my question.”

“I avoided it because it is absolutely ridiculous. What have I ever done to you to make you think I deserve to be accused of cheating on you?”

“AHA! I never said the word cheating. You must be feeling guilty!”

“I SAID the word CHEATING, Blaine, because I am NOT STUPID. I know darn well that that’s what you’re insinuating. Might as well call it what it is. Now, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, yes, what you have heard is true. But your sources, whoever they may be, have no idea what the reason for my jacket and the motel room is. And it is not up to me to tell you.”

“I will not put up with secrecy when it comes to our relationship, Kurt. I can NOT have anyone cheating on me. It’s not okay, and quite frankly, I'm shocked YOU think it’s okay, too.”

“What makes you think I think it’s okay? I would never cheat on you, or anyone else if I wasn’t dating you, and I would be absolutely devastated if someone did it to me. I can’t believe you haven’t figured that out about me. It… it breaks my heart, Blaine,” said Kurt as tears began to fall from his eyes and his lip began to quiver.

“If you won’t tell me, Kurt, I am just going to have to assume you are lying to me. And I don’t associate with liars. We’re done.”

Kurt sobbed as the line was disconnected. He whispered, “No….Blaine….please…” and fell onto his bed crying into his pillow.

**xXxXxXx**

“Burt, you better come in here,” said Finn as he pointed toward the impeccably decorated bedroom.

“Why, what’s wr… oh jeez.” His face fell as he caught a glimpse of his son. His hair was a mess, his clothing rumpled, and his face riddled with tear tracks. And none of that was as bad as the heartbroken look on his face.

“I have only seen him like this once in his life, and that was after he finally broke down about a week after his mother died. He was trying so hard to be strong for me. He didn’t cry when we got the word, he didn’t cry at the funeral, and he didn’t cry when we started sorting through her things. But once we got to the dresser and started packing away her clothes, he totally lost it. He said it was her smell that finally broke through his shell. To this day he keeps that dresser, insisting he can still smell her.

“But I think this is worse. This looks like somebody did this to him. And if it was who I think it was, then he better not come anywhere near here because I will kick his ass for breaking my baby’s heart.”

Just then, Kurt stirred and noticed his dad in the room. Burt sat on the edge of the bed and opened his arms to Kurt.

“Daddy, he thinks I cheated on him…”

**xXxXxXx**

Finn’s cell phone began to play Katy Perry’s _Hot and Cold_ – Rachel’s ringtone.

“Finn, you’ll never guess what I just saw!”

“Rach, we’ve got a big problem.”

“Well, it’s just going to have to wait ‘til I tell you THIS! NOW guess who I saw coming out of the motel with Sam? QUINN!”

“To be honest Rachel, I don’t even care right now.”

“What’s wrong, Finn?”

“Oh Rachel, what did we do?”

“What do you mean?”

“I just left Kurt’s bedroom. Blaine broke up with him.”

“Well, no kidding, Finn! I’d do the same thing if my boyfriend was seen coming out of a motel room with someone else!”

“Rachel, this is different. Let’s face it, we’ve know Kurt casually since we were little kids and as a very good friend for the last two and a half years. Take a moment, think about it, and tell me what you honestly think about the whole situation.”

There was a long pause. Then Rachel sighed. “I guess I think there has to be some other sort of explanation, because if there’s one thing Kurt is, it’s loyal. And if there are other things Kurt is, they are honest, loving, and caring...  and totally in love.”

“Exactly, Rachel. We did a horrible thing by telling Blaine what we saw. Even if we knew the real reasoning behind it, we should have never said a word. I don’t know if Kurt will ever forgive me for this.”

“Maybe we don’t have to tell him it was us?”

“Oh no you don’t, Rachel. We are going to confess. WE, Rachel, not just me. For once, you and I are going to willingly accept the consequences for our actions. We have tried to get away with too much for too long. If we’re ever going to grow up, we’re going to have to start here.”

“Okay. I guess you’re right. But… what about Quinn?”

“Well, she did date Sam for awhile. And she never seems to know what she wants anymore, especially now that prom queen is done for this year. So it really wouldn’t surprise me if she was guy hopping again. But truthfully, I have a feeling that whatever is going on is related to why Sam is in the motel room in the first place and not to any suspected cheating on either of their parts.

“So, here’s how we’re going to fix this…”

**xXxXxXx**

“Kurt, you’ve got to go to school today. Burt said so.”

“Shut up, Finn. I really don’t give a flying monkey’s left butt cheek what you think I should and shouldn’t be doing.”

Finn flinched. He had never heard that kind of language from Kurt’s mouth. It may not be profanity, but it was the closest thing to it he had ever heard him say.

“Come on, Kurt. Mr. Schuester said yesterday that it was im… imper…”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Imperative?”

“Yes! That’s the word. IMPERATIVE that everyone show up to Glee club today. We desperately need to work on our set list for Nationals.”

“Ugh, FINE. I’ll be right back.” Kurt stomped up the stairs to change from his pajamas into some clothes for school. To Finn’s utter shock, Kurt was back in literally three minutes. Normally it took him closer to thirty minutes to choose his clothes, arrange them artfully upon his body, and make sure every hair on his head was just so. Kurt was wearing his Likes Boys t-shirt, skinny jeans that he may have already worn once (which was disturbing in itself because Kurt NEVER rewore clothes without washing even though many people considered jeans good for a few wears between washes), and some shoes that Finn swore he had stolen from his closet, which meant they were probably a couple sizes too big. Kurt had also done nothing more than quick run a brush through his hair and spent all of about 10 minutes doing so.

“Crap,” said Finn under his breath. Kurt handled the bullying from Karofsky better than he was handling this breakup. The guilt Finn felt for causing his brother this pain was staggering. He had to fix this, immediately, and he only hoped his plan worked.

“Are you sure you’re ready, Kurt?”

“Can it, Frankenteen. I’m up, I’m dressed, what more do you want? Let’s go and get this day over with!”

He stomped his way to the garage to leave. Finn took a moment to send a quick text. **_We’re on our way._**

\--

“Blaine, you have to come to McKinley this afternoon.”

“Why should I, Finn? My boyfriend cheated on me, and now you want me to step onto enemy territory, which will include _him_ AND the guy he cheated with?”

“Blaine, he didn’t cheat on you.”

“Can you prove it?”

“Well, not this second. But that’s the plan for Glee club this afternoon. We’re going to demand some answers. Kurt’s in a really bad way, Blaine. Burt’s been really worried about him, which worries me because you know he’s got a bad heart. I pass Kurt’s room at night when I’m going to the bathroom and I see Burt in there just watching him sleep. Kurt’s a really strong person, but he’s not handling the loss of you well. Actually, he’s not even handling it. He’s avoiding all talk of you, or relationships, or anything, and he’s just existing. He’s a shell. I think part of why Burt watches him at night is because he’s afraid Kurt might… do something.”

“Do something? You don’t mean…”        

“That’s exactly what I mean, Blaine. Please come to McKinley this afternoon. You don’t really believe he betrayed you, do you?”

“I don’t know what I think. But my gut says no.”

“Mine too. And you still care about him, don’t you?”

“More than I’ve cared about anyone in my whole life, and that includes my family. Kurt’s been there for me way more than my own family has.”

“Then I’ll see you this afternoon at 3:30?”

“I’ll be there.”

Finn hung up the phone and sent another text. **_Step two accomplished._**

**xXxXxXx**

**_Kurt’s French class, 2:45pm_ **

“Now, for the rest of the class period, I’d like you all to separate out into groups of four. Since summer is nearly upon us, I’d like you all to discuss amongst yourselves, in French, your plans for your vacation.”

Kurt mumbled to himself, “ _I don’t give a flying fuck_.”

The teacher raised an eyebrow and said, “What was that, Mr. Hummel?”

“Nothing, Madame Dubois,” Kurt sang. _“You old hag,”_ he muttered.

Kurt’s classmates scrambled to be the first ones to choose him for their group, for they knew he was far and away the most fluent French speaker in the class. He even spoke it better than Madame Dubois, and she grew up in France. Normally Kurt had his pick of anyone in the class to work with, but at this point in time, there was nothing he wanted to do less than sit and blather on inanely in French, so he just let people come to him.

“Listen,” he said quietly to his group mates. “There is no way I’m sitting here talking about something as stupid as summer vacation right now. I’ll watch for Dubois and make sure I play it up good whenever she looks up, but other than that, you guys are on your own.”

FINALLY, the clock struck 3:10, and the class, and school, was dismissed. Kurt took his time at his locker, dreading this afternoon’s rehearsal. Finn met up with him in the hall.

“Now what do you want? Are you afraid I’m going to bail on the club today? I told you I’d come, Finn. Get off my back!”

“Hey, chill, Kurt. Let’s just get to the choir room. The sooner we get there, the sooner this will be done, right?”

“Yeah, whatever. Let’s go.”

As they were walking down the hall, Finn received a text. **_Canary is perched at the rendezvous point._**

He texted back: **_Huh?_**

The reply came back quickly. **_Good lord, Finn. BLAINE IS IN THE CHOIR ROOM. Get with the program._**

Just before Kurt reached the door, Finn said, “Don’t kill us.”

“What in the world are you….Blaine?”

“Blaine, Kurt, this is an intervention,” said Mercedes.

“Blaine, I know you’re at a disadvantage since you go to Dalton and we don’t know you very well, but we do know Kurt very well, and we know that something is very, very wrong here,” said Rachel.

“You’re damn right there’s something wrong here,” shouted Blaine. “My boyfriend went to a sleazy motel and cheated on me with another guy!”

Kurt flinched and turned to run. “Kurt, wait! We’re all here to figure out what in the world happened between you two. Please don’t go before we have a chance to discuss things calmly,” said Mr. Schuester. If there was one thing besides leading the club that Mr. Schue was good at, it was mediating. Especially given the practice he had with this group of volatile personalities.

“Fine. Blaine, I will not sit here and listen to you accuse me of things I never did and would never consider doing. It kills me to know you think that terribly of me.”

“What am I supposed to think, Kurt? Finn and Rachel called me and TOLD me they saw you come out of a motel room with Sam and then you gave him a hug? You don’t think that sounds odd?”

“FINN AND RACHEL TOLD YOU THIS? I should have FUCKING KNOWN.” The whole room gasped. “Some brother you are, Finn! And you’re some friend too, Rachel. How could you?” Kurt seethed, his internal pain etched onto his face.

Finn winced. He was in far more trouble than he realized, and he wasn’t sure his brother was going to forgive him this time.

‘All right, that’s enough,” said Sam. “This has gone far enough. I swore Kurt and Quinn to secrecy about this, but I can see it’s causing some of you more pain than it would cause me to just admit it to you all. Guys, my dad lost his job, and then we lost our home. That “sleazy motel” is my HOME right now, Blaine. And Rachel and Finn, it would have been nice if you had come to me before you started gossiping all over town and hurting the kindest person most of us will ever meet. Kurt has been coming over to our motel room for a couple days now. He’s been lending me some of his own clothes, and he’s been doing my family’s laundry so we all have clean things to wear. We don’t have the money to wash our own clothes or buy anything new.”

“Oh shit,” whispered Blaine.

“And Quinn has been stopping by to babysit so my parents can look for jobs and I can get a break to do homework or go to the food shelf or whatever. I am on babysitting duty nearly 24/7 lately and I can’t do it all by myself.”

“Sam, I’m so sorry to hear that. Please let any one of us know if there’s anything we can help your family with in the future,” said Mr. Schuester.

“Thanks, Mr. Schue. But right now, let’s concentrate on Blaine and Kurt. I think this is the bigger issue right now.”

Blaine sat with his head in his hands, tears streaking down his face. He moved to sit next to Kurt. Kurt refused to look at him, but Blaine could tell that he was paying attention, so he began to speak.

“Kurt, I am so, so sorry that I chose to believe the first bad thing I heard about you. I am so very sorry that I didn’t take a moment to dig to find the truth. And I am so, SO sorry that I didn’t believe in you. I may not have shown it, but I was intrigued by you the moment I met you at Dalton. As freaked out as you were by your experiences with Karofsky, your inner strength just about bowled me over. As I got to know you, I was delighted to discover what a funny and kind and sweet person you are. Our coffee dates quickly became the best part of my day. Your heart is so pure, and you have such a capacity to love and find the good in everyone you meet, and I just wanted to be around that all the time. I don’t think you could ever hurt a fly. Heck, I bet you even relocate spiders rather than squish them, don’t you?”

Finn laughed from across the room. “He so does!”

Blaine cracked a small smile and then continued. “See? I know what kind of person you are, and what you are and aren’t capable of. I should have gone with my gut feeling. My gut feeling told me that I needed to wait. That this was Kurt and that there had to be some logical reason for what Finn and Rachel saw. And there was. And I feel like a complete fool.”

Blaine heard Kurt sniffle. “Kurt, will you look at me, please?”

Kurt slowly turned around. Blaine felt his heart snap in two at the sight of the beautiful boy’s face. His eyes were bright red and puffy and he just looked so sad and lost. Blaine’s stomach twisted at the realization that he was responsible for this devastation.

He reached out and put his hand on Kurt’s hand. Surprisingly, Kurt let it stay there. For the first time in days, Blaine felt hope.

“Kurt, I realize that you may never trust me again. Or that you may never forgive me for my part in this. I can tell you’ve had a horrible past few days, and I can honestly say that I’ve felt pretty awful myself. And I’m not even talking about what I felt when I thought you had betrayed me. I’m referring to the pain and sadness I felt because we weren’t together anymore. That you weren’t _mine_ anymore. It made me realize that you have been the best part of my life so far, and I was a complete IDIOT for breaking up with you. Every smile and touch and kiss you’ve shared with me have been remembered and cherished. I want you to know that if there is any chance that you will forgive me or that maybe, dare I hope, we could be together again in the future, I will do anything…ANYTHING…to try make it happen. I want to earn your trust, and your heart, back. You are a treasure Kurt, and I hope that no matter what happens, you will never forget that.”

Kurt turned his hand so his palm was facing up and meeting Blaine’s palm. He squeezed Blaine’s hand.

“You are not forgiven, Blaine.” Blaine’s face fell instantly. “YET. You are not forgiven YET. But I do want to give you a chance. I was devastated, Blaine. Absolutely annihilated. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and my heart insists that despite your humongous faux pas, you need to be given another chance. Besides, I’m curious to see what happens when my dad lays his eyes on you next. You may want to wear a cup.”

Finn said, “Oh yeah, Blaine, Burt’s gonna have your ass.”

Kurt spun around to face Finn, his eyes staring daggers at him. “YOU! YOU, Finn, are on my shit list, and if you think you’re getting off it any time soon, you are sadly mistaken. Because you are my brother, familial ties suggest I should probably love you, and I do, but I DO NOT LIKE YOU right now. At all. What the hell were you thinking? First with the spying, and then with the tattling like a 4 year old? Hello? Let me guess. Rachel’s got your balls in her purse again, doesn’t she? I bet this whole debacle was all her idea. Time and time again, she proves to you that she’s only out for herself, but you keep going back to her. How many times are you going to be her doormat before you stand on your own two feet and stand up to her? Do you want to lose everyone in your life just because of a girl who treats you like crap? Are you that stupid?” he ranted. He flopped into his chair panting. That diatribe took a lot out of him, but it was all things he thought finally needed to be said. So many things had gone unsaid for too long.

“You’re right, Kurt. It was all Rachel’s idea. And I stupidly went along with it. I do a lot of stupid things, and they usually have something to do with girls. I’ve been thinking, and I’m going to take a break from girls. From all girls, but especially from Quinn and Rachel. Some of the worst things in my life have happened while I’ve been in a relationship, and it’s probably time for me to figure out what the best things in my life are. I’m starting to realize that those best things are my mom, you, and your dad, Kurt. Hopefully we’ll get to the point where you can stand being around me again, and if and when you do, I’d like to spend time getting to know you as my brother rather than just a friend from Glee club. I’m sorry, Kurt. I feel awful. I hope you and Blaine get back together. From what I have seen of you two guys together, you seem to bring out the best in each other. I’m envious of that. But I hope I get to see you guys like that again. Because you deserve nothing but the best, Kurt, and I think Blaine is the best.”

“Thank you, Finn. That meant a lot to me to hear that. I think I’ll eventually be able to forgive you, too.” They gave each other that goofy one-armed man hug. Kurt was all for big bear hugs, but Finn just wasn’t quite comfortable with all that guy to guy contact.

“Kurt?” said Rachel tentatively.

“No Rachel. I can’t talk to you today. You are the one I am most angry with, and I am exhausted. I have absolutely no energy to deal with you right now. In fact, Mr. Schue, may I be excused? As you can probably guess, I haven’t slept much at all in the past few days, and I just need to go home and lay down.”

“Of course Kurt, anything you need. I’m sure Finn or Mercedes can fill you in on anything covered today, once we eventually get started.”

“May I drive you home, Kurt?” asked Blaine hopefully.

Kurt contemplated the offer. He had his car at school today, but he really was tired. Why not? He thought. He tossed his keys to Finn imploring him to be careful with the Navigator and walked out to the parking lot with Blaine.

As they pulled into the Hummel/Hudson driveway, Blaine said “Thank you, Kurt. Even though I know I’m not out of the doghouse, I feel better just knowing there’s some hope and I didn’t irreparably screw this up. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if you sent me away permanently.”

“Would you like to come in for a bit and talk a little more?”

Blaine was no idiot. “Yes, absolutely.”

They went to Kurt’s bedroom. Kurt lay down on top of the bedspread and patted the bed next to him, implying that Blaine should sit there.

“To tell you the truth, Blaine, I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I sent you away permanently, either. I’ve grown almost scarily attached to you lately. It’s really weird, but when other couples refer to their partners as their other halves, I see you as my other half, too. I just didn’t feel like the complete Kurt Hummel until the Blaine Anderson half came into my life. And as mad and hurt as I was, and still am, I think sending you away would do me more harm than trying to repair what got broken.”

“Oh, thank God. I don’t want to be out of your life, Kurt. I feel so exactly the same as you it’s kind of eerie. What can I do to try to fix us, Kurt?”

“For now, can you just hold me? It’s been a long day and I kind of feel like I need help holding myself together.”

“Yes, Kurt, I can totally do that.”

Burt came home later to find the two boys spooned together (fully clothed, thank goodness) on top of the bed deep in sleep. As mad at Blaine as he wanted to be, he found he just couldn’t be. For in his sleep, Kurt had the biggest smile on his face that Burt had seen in a long time, and he really couldn’t hate the boy who had put that kind of joy on his son’s face. He knew the two would be just fine and would be stronger for it.

**xXxXxXx**

“Blaine?” whispered Kurt.

“Mmmm go’way, Ma. Fi’ more min, plz…” garbled Blaine sleepily.

“BLAINE. Wake up.”

“I said five more minutes pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaasssse, Mommy?”

Kurt couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Blaine, c’mon. It’s me, Kurt. WAKE UP.” He gave Blaine a poke in the ribs for good measure.

Startled, Blaine sat straight up in bed. “I’m up, I’m up! Wait, where am I? Why am I here? And oh shit, what time is it? My mom must be freaking out! Where’s my phone? Have you seen my phone, Kurt? Wait, why are YOU here, Kurt? Why are we on this bed together? Crap, did we do anything? No, my clothes are on…”

“BLAINE!”

“Yes Kurt?”

“SHUT. UP. You’re rambling. You’re here at my house. We fell asleep on my bed. My dad left a note saying he swiped your phone out of your backpack and called your mom. It’s 5am – we slept the whole afternoon and evening. And no, we did nothing but cuddle, but it was the most wonderful cuddling of my life.”

“Mmmm no wonder I feel so good. Comfy bed, lots of sleep, snuggled up with my adorable boyf… oops, sorry,” he said sheepishly.

Kurt smiled softy. “Blaine, it’s okay. I still want you to be my boyfriend.”

“REALLY?” grinned Blaine. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all morning.”

“We just woke up, you goof.”

“Well, then, that’s going to be the best news I hear all day!”

“Yeah, me too. To be honest, I’m a LOT madder at Rachel than I am at you or even Finn. There’s only one thing that matters to Rachel Berry, and that’s Rachel Berry. To hell with the rest of us.”

“Are you going to forgive her?”

“It’s gonna take awhile for me to even be able to talk to her, let alone forgive her. I don’t even want to be anywhere near her right now, so Glee club is going to be interesting for awhile.”

“Well, take your time. It seems to me that she needs to be made to face the consequences of her actions for once.”

“TOTALLY,” said Kurt. “And I seem to be the only one with the balls to make her pay.”

“I’d like to see that!”

Kurt was shocked. “BLAINE!”

“What? What did I say? Oh, you think I want to see your balls? I don’t! Well, not now, I mean, eventually I will want to take a look, but I just meant I wanted to see her pay! Whew is it HOT in here??”

Kurt could barely contain himself. “Nope, it’s just you!”

Blaine raised an eyebrow. “And just how did you mean that?”

“How did you think I meant it?”

Blaine shook his head and chuckled. “I can’t outflirt you, Kurt. I give! I’m crying Uncle right here!”

Just then Burt stopped by Kurt’s room on his way out the door to work. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you boys laughing and smiling. It’s been a long couple of days, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it has Dad. But everything’s going to be okay. Blaine still has to be extra super duper nice to me to make up for being an idiot, but other than that, we’re going to be fine.”

“Thank goodness for that. I like you too much to have to kick your ass, Blaine, but you know I’d do it in a heartbeat if I had to. And if anything like this occurs again, it’s going to happen. Your free pass has been cashed in.”

“Burt, if I do it again, I will present my ass for kicking.”

“Just don’t give me any reason to make me have to do it, and I’ll be happy. Now, you should probably get out of here, Blaine. You still need to get to school, don’t you?”

“I do, but I always have an extra school uniform in my car. I never end up needing it, but I’m always worried I’ll spill something and I don’t like the thought of having to wear a dirty uniform all day.”

“Yeah, Kurt’s like that, too. One hair out of place and he’s in a tizzy until the problem has been corrected.

“So anyway, I think Carole left some sort of breakfast in the kitchen. Blaine, call your mom if you’re not going to stop in at home before you go to school. It was a bit late before I thought to call her so she was a little worried, but she was okay with you staying here.”

“I’ll get out my Bluetooth and speak to her on my drive to school. I need to tell her all about what kind of asshole I’ve been so she can yell at me on the phone and be done with it. I don’t want to be walking into the lion’s den when I get home!”

“Dad, you better go, you’ve gotta have the garage opened in a few minutes. See you this afternoon, I love you.”

“Love you too, Kid. See you later, Blaine.”

“Bye Burt, have a good day!”

“C’mon Blaine, let’s see what Carole made.”

The two boys went down to the kitchen and ate some fresh banana walnut muffins. Then it was time for Blaine to get going. The drive to Dalton was a little bit of a ways so he needed to leave early to make his first class. To Blaine’s complete surprise, Kurt wrapped his arms around him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Mmmm muffins!” he grinned.

“Silly! So, when can I see you again?”

“Hmmm. Well, I better stay home today. I’ve been blowing off homework for the past couple of days, and Madame Dubois is going to have _mon_ _cul_ _dans une_ _écharpe_ if I don’t hand in my French paper in by class. Thank God for free periods and being able to speak French better than the teacher ! “  

“What did you just say, Kurt?“

“Doesn’t David speak French? Ask him!” Kurt said mischievously.

“You are going to be the death of me, Kurt! I gotta run. Can I at least call you tonight?”

“I’ll be disappointed if you don’t.”

Blaine gave Kurt a big bear hug and a quick peck on the cheek. “Talk to you later sweetie!”

“Bye hon!”

Kurt went back inside and shut the door. He immediately leaned back against the door and grinned like the cat that ate the canary. All was right in Kurt Hummel’s world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mon cul dans une écharpe = my ass in a sling


	6. Chapter 6

The next couple of weeks were spent putting the finishing touches on the set list for Nationals. As expected, most of the Glee club members were bickering back and forth as to who should get solos. There was a lot of finger pointing and a whole bunch of childish “you got to do that, so why can’t I do this?” kinds of arguments, and finally Mr. Schue had had IT!

“Guys, that’s ENOUGH! If you want any sort of input at all as to what we do for Nationals, I need you to calm down, quit complaining, and start working together.”

The New Directions collectively realized that if they didn’t start cooperating with Mr. Schue, they’d be singing yet another Journey medley, and not only could they not stomach any more Journey songs, but that wouldn’t win them Nationals either. It’d probably get them laughed off the stage.

Finally, they came to an agreement. They’d be singing two original songs that were currently only partially written and one surprise song that Mr. Schuester was planning to keep under wraps until the last minute.

“What the heck, Mr. Schuester? How can you possibly expect us to prepare a song if you don’t plan on telling us what it is?”

“Now Finn, relax a minute, and let me give you all some details.  This song I have in mind is a duet, and it does not include any other New Directions member singing background vocals or anything like that. The two people that I would like to sing the song are well versed in this type of music, and I’d be willing to bet they know this exact song. So I doubt they’ll need much practice to be phenomenal. I have a huge amount of trust in the talent of you kids. I would never spring this on any of you if I didn’t think it would go off without a hitch.”

“When are you planning on telling us about it?” inquired Tina.

“I thought it’d be something to look forward to on the plane.”

Everyone was really excited about the prospect of a surprise number, and most of them, were feeling conflicted, they both did and didn’t want to be “the chosen ones.” They did because, wow, what an honor, but they didn’t because the thought of so little rehearsal time for such an important competition was a little scary.

Mr. Schuester leaned back against the piano and smiled. He wasn’t originally going to do this number this way, but a phone call he had received that day clinched it for him. This idea was going to work out fantastically, and he couldn’t wait to witness it.

**xXxXxXx**

_< ring ring>_

_“Good morning, this is Will Schuester.”_

_“Good morning, Mr. Schuester, this is Blaine Anderson.”_

_“Blaine – oh, you mean Kurt’s boyfriend? Hi Blaine, how are you?”_

_“I’m actually doing pretty awesome, thanks so much for asking.”_

_“I take it you and Kurt are doing okay again?”_

_“We’re doing wonderfully. Thanks so much for putting up with all our teenage angst when everything went down.”_

_“Hey, no problem, Blaine. It needed to be addressed, and it benefitted everyone as well since Nationals wouldn’t be Nationals without Kurt. We need him, and we need him happy.”_

_“Well, that’s why I’m calling, Mr. Schuester. Kurt and I have reached the point in our relationship where I’d really like to reach out to him with some sort of grand gesture, and I need your help. I have some ideas….”_

**xXxXxXx**

 “Oh. Em. Gee. I have never been in FIRST CLASS on an airplane before. This is so cool!” exclaimed Mercedes.

“I haven’t even been on a plane before,” said Sam. “We haven’t exactly had any money to go on vacation anywhere fancier than the lake these past few years.”

“Hey, I wonder if I can get the flight attendants to serve us some of those tiny little bottles of tequila. I bet Puckasaurus can charm them out of them in 2 minutes or less.”

“NO, Puck. Don’t even think about it,” scolded Mr. Schuester.

“Mr. Schue, how did your ex manage to score these tickets, anyway?” inquired Rachel.

“I’m not even going to go there. I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, and I probably don’t even want to know, anyway. The important thing is, we’re on the plane and we’re heading to NEW YORK!”

Every New Directions member cheered. Kurt joined in, but he was perhaps a little less enthusiastic than the others. Blaine had brought him to the airport this morning so they could have a little extra time together before they spent five days separated by 600 miles and Kurt’s crazy busy rehearsal schedule, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough anymore. Kurt craved Blaine’s company, and he was pretty sure Blaine felt the same way.  He craved more than Blaine’s mere presence, though. He craved his mind, his body (oh God did he crave his body), and… his heart. Kurt was pretty sure that he was officially in love with Blaine, but he had never said anything for fear of rejection. He was waiting for Blaine to make the next move, but he wasn’t entirely sure how much longer he could wait. News like this begged to be told.

 _That’s it. I’m going to tell him when I get home,_ he thought. _I’m going to go to him, throw myself in his arms, and tell him I’m in love with him. And then I’m going to kiss him ‘til we both forget our names._

“…and Kurt will be singing the duet.”

_Whoa, Kurt. Yeah, that’s my name. Did I just hear what I thought I did?_

“Wait, wait, I’m sorry, I was daydreaming. Could you repeat what you just said?”

Mr. Schue smiled. “I thought you looked a little lost in thought over there. I don’t suppose a certain boy has anything to do with that?” Kurt hung his head and nodded as he felt the heat spreading across his face. He was sure he was red as a tomato. “Anyway, I was just telling the group about the two original songs we’ll be singing, and I also announced the two I have chosen to sing the duet. I picked Rachel….and you, Kurt.”

Kurt was stunned. A duet at NATIONALS. On stage. In NEW YORK CITY! _Holy shit,_ he thought. Normally he didn’t swear, even in his own head, but in this case he felt even the expletive wasn’t enough to describe what he felt at that point in time.

“Holy cow. Me? And Rachel? Mr. Schue, I’m pretty sure you’ve pretty much fulfilled nearly every hope and dream Rachel and I have ever had just with this one opportunity. Thank you! Did you happen to mention what we’ll be singing?”

“Well, you and Rachel are great with big Broadway songs. I’ve noticed your mutual love for Wicked, and I remember how much getting to sing Defying Gravity meant to both of you. Therefore, I have chosen another number from Wicked. You two will be singing _For Good._ ”

The room was filled with the sound of a giant squeal. He had thought it was Rachel and was turning to laugh at her, but he noticed everyone else staring right at HIM.

“Oh God, was that me? Color me humiliated!” Kurt said as he blushed  a deeper red than anyone had ever seen on him before.

“It’s okay, Kurt! I’m thrilled to death, too! I couldn’t have asked for a better duet partner. Every song we’ve sung together has been absolutely amazing, and if anyone can pull this off, we can.”

“I know we can, Rachel. We are going to bulldoze the competition. And then we’re going to mop the stage with them. The whole group is, because we are just that amazing.”

“I agree with you both. And while I know you’ve probably both known the song backwards and forwards since the ink was dry on paper, I’ve arranged for a rehearsal hall for you to practice in. I think you’ll find it rather… inspiring.”

Mr. Schue gave Kurt and Rachel cab fare and the address of the hall, which was fairly close to their hotel. When they arrived at 222 West 51st Street, they discovered that they were at the Gershwin Theatre. They both looked at each other curiously.

“Is this…?” “You don’t think we’re…?” they both asked at the same time. They both ran for the door, practically knocking each other over as they struggled to open it. They were met inside by a security guard.

“May I help you?”

“Yes, our names are Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel. Our choir director Mr. Schuester gave us this address and told us that he arranged for us to have some rehearsal time here?”

“Oh yes, kids. Go right on through those doors – you’ll be rehearsing on stage.”

Both Kurt and Rachel trembled in anticipation as they approached the doors. Kurt took a deep breath and flung them open. Rachel was speechless, for once, and Kurt let out a huge gasp.

They were right – this was the official Broadway stage for Wicked, the musical. They would be rehearsing their duet on the very stage, and on the very set, that the professionals performed on every night.

“We made it, Kurt. We REALLY made it! Even if we never, ever make it back to New York again, we will always be able to say that we sang on a real honest to goodness Broadway stage.”

Kurt felt tears run down his face. He was overwhelmed with emotion, but strangely, the excitement he felt at being on the Wicked stage was only secondary. First and foremost, he was wishing that Blaine was here to share this moment with him, and crushed that he wasn’t.

They briefly discussed who would take which parts. Brad, being as omnipresent as he was, arrived at that exact moment and sat down at the piano ready to play.

And then, they began to sing.

**xXxXxXx**

“Blaine! Blaine honey, you will NEVER GUESS what happened today?”

“Kurt, calm down! Don’t give yourself a heart attack. Oh, poor taste, sorry Kurt.”

“It’s okay Blaine. But guess what, guess what, guess what?”

Blaine chuckled and shook his head. He was quite certain his boyfriend was jumping around as he was talking to him. Perhaps even jumping on the bed. Blaine recognized that overflow of energy, and if he was being completely honest with himself, he was glad to pass the responsibility of dealing with Kurt in that state off to someone else. Kurt was adorable, but he was also exhausting.

“I’m sure I will never guess what, just like you said. So why don’t you just tell me? But slowly, though – I’m not sure I can keep up with you in your current state!”

“Har har dee har har, Mr. Anderson. Are you making fun of me?”

“Nope, not at all. Just making an observation. Now, TELL me, I’m dying here!”

“Remember when I was telling you that Mr. Schuester was planning on choosing two people to sing a duet as part of our set list? Well he chose me and Rachel! We’re going to be singing _For Good_ from WICKED!!”

“That’s hardly a surprise, Kurt. I happen to have it on good authority that you and Rachel are the two most talented members of New Directions.”

“Whose authority is that?”

“Well, mine, of course! You know how smart and always right I am.”

“HA!” Kurt scoffed, but he smiled. He couldn’t have asked for a more supportive partner.

“But anyway, that’s not even the BEST part! Mr. Schuester arranged for us to practice in, get this, the GERSHWIN THEATRE!”

“That’s awesome, Kurt. I bet it was thrilling to be able to rehearse on a real New York stage.”

“I don’t think you’re getting the significance of this, Blaine. Let me try again. We rehearsed on the Gershwin Theatre stage, the HOME of ‘Wicked -The Musical’ ON BROADWAY. We rehearsed on the 100% authentic, doesn’t get any more real than this, set that the Broadway actors perform every night on. Do you understand, Blaine? Do you now get how epic this is??”

Blaine was stunned. “Oh my GOD, Kurt. That is absolutely incredible. One of your biggest dreams come true, and you didn’t even have to get cast in a show to have it happen. I am so HAPPY for you, sweetheart! I wish I was there to give you a humongous hug just to show you how happy your happiness makes me and how proud I am to have the world’s most talented boyfriend.”

“You knew that this was one of my lifelong dreams, Blaine?”

“What do you take me for, Kurt? I listen. I listen to every word you say, even when it’s about fashion, which totally goes over my head. I know you’re always secretly soaking up every word your Dad and I say when we’re watching a Buckeyes game.”

It was true. Kurt always pretended to be reading the latest issue of Vogue or Cosmo or something whenever there was a game on, but he never absorbed more than a page or two of the magazine during the entire game. Blaine was just so sexy when he was excited about sports. He couldn’t help but watch.

“Oh Blaine, I can’t begin to tell you how much it hurts that you aren’t here to share this with me,” Kurt whispered sadly. “Mercedes has been around to celebrate with me, and I’m having fun becoming friends with Lauren – she’s so funny and so REAL. I like being around her a lot. But nobody is you.”

“I know, Kurt. I know. But it’s not that much longer. Just a couple more days, and then I will be with you at the airport to drive you home. Burt wanted to come, but I convinced him that after a few days apart we will need a few minutes together before you get home.”

“Thanks for that. You are absolutely right.”

“Don’t be sad, Kurt. You and I will be together again before you know it.”

The boys whispered their goodnights and hung up their phones.

While Kurt was in New York finishing his nighttime routine and getting ready for bed, Blaine was in Ohio lying awake in bed. He was running through every last detail in his head. His plans were falling into place, and he was sure that however the story went, it would be EPIC.


	7. Chapter 7

 “All set, Mr. Schuester?” He was on the phone with Blaine, hiding out in a seldom used dressing room to avoid being heard.

“It’s all set, Blaine. Just remember what I said about timing. You need to be very careful or we will be disqualified.”

“No worries, Mr. Schue. I would never do anything to ruin your chances of winning. Thank you so much for your help.”

“Good luck, Blaine. I can’t wait to see how this all pans out.”

“You and me both. I’ll see you soon!”

**xXxXxXx**

The New Directions was on stage, having just performed their two new original numbers to standing ovations that lasted several minutes after each song had ended. Feeling confident, Kurt and Rachel met at the middle of the risers and grabbed each other’s hands. They walked together to the front of the stage.

“Break a leg, Kurt!”

“We got this, Rachel. We’re going to be amazing.”

Kurt looked out into the audience. Though the stage lights prevented him from seeing faces, he knew approximately where Mr. Schue and Jesse St. Sucks…ahem, Jesse St. James were sitting. He was relieved to see the little red flashing light that indicated that Mr. Schue had remembered to turn the video camera on. He had asked him to film the performance for Blaine, and he had readily agreed. Kurt had thought he’d get a little more resistance from him, assuming he’d want to be unencumbered while watching the group perform, but it was amazingly easy to get him to comply.

The opening notes began, and both Rachel and Kurt took deep breaths. Then, Rachel began to sing.

 _I’m limited  
Just look at me – I’m limited  
And just look at you  
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda  
So now it's up to you  
For both of us - now it's up to you..._  
  
Kurt’s beautiful countertenor voice took over the melody from Rachel at that point.

   
 _I've heard it said  
That people come into our lives for a reason  
Bringing something we must learn  
And we are led  
To those who help us most to grow  
If we let them  
And we help them in return  
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true_  
 _But I know I'm who I am today  
Because I knew you...  
  
Like a comet pulled from orbit  
As it passes a sun  
Like a stream that meets a boulder  
Halfway through the wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
But because I knew you  
I have been changed for good_  
  
Rachel smiled, knowing Kurt had done a phenomenal job. She only hoped she did just as well on her part.

 _It well may be  
That we will never meet again  
In this lifetime  
So let me say before we part  
So much of me  
Is made of what I learned from you  
You'll be with me  
Like a handprint on my heart  
And now whatever way our stories end  
I know you have re-written mine  
By being my friend...  
  
Like a ship blown from its mooring  
By a wind off the sea  
Like a seed dropped by a skybird  
In a distant wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
But because I knew you_  
  
Kurt rejoined Rachel at this point.

 _Because I knew you_  
  
 _I have been changed for good_  
  
Rachel turned to face Kurt at this point in the song. She felt the lyrics were entirely appropriate for the blows their friendship had suffered from the past couple of months. She looked straight into his eyes as she sang, hoping she was able to convey her sincerity.

 _And just to clear the air  
I ask forgiveness  
For the things I've done you blame me for_  
  
Kurt recognized the significance of the lyrics and understood that not only was she singing the song, but she was asking Kurt for his forgiveness, also. He looked right back at her as he picked up the lyrics and hope that she was able to tell that yes, he was forgiving her.

_But then, I guess we know  
There's blame to share_   
  
_And none of it seems to matter anymore  
  
Like a comet pulled from orbit (Like a ship blown from its mooring)  
As it passes a sun (By a wind off the sea)  
Like a stream that meets a boulder (Like a seed dropped by )  
Halfway through the wood (A bird in the wood)_

_Who can say if I've been  
Changed for the better?  
I do believe I have been  
Changed for the better_

_And because I knew you..._

_Because I knew you..._

_Because I knew you...  
I have been changed for good..._

Kurt and Rachel ended the song to thunderous applause. The audience quieted down almost as soon as they began, though, and Rachel was irritated. Didn’t they know that she needed the applause to live?

**_Because I knew you, I have been changed for good…_ **

Kurt knew that voice. His jaw dropped as he slowly turned to face stage left. There was his Blaine, HIS Blaine, walking out on stage with a long stemmed red rose in his hand. He was dressed impeccably in a well-tailored suit, and yes, the Dalton tie. You can take the boy out of Dalton…

The audience assumed he was approaching Rachel and started to whistle when Blaine got closer to her. However, he bypassed her and headed straight for Kurt. Suddenly, the auditorium became dead silent.

Kurt’s emotions ran the gamut – surprise, shock, disbelief, embarrassment, awe, and finally, love. He had been pretty certain before, but it wasn’t until that moment when he finally knew – he was irrevocably in love with Blaine. A tear slipped down his cheek as Blaine arrived next to him and handed him the flower.

Though they were on stage and the audience was dying to hear what was going on, Blaine dropped his voice.

“Kurt Hummel, when you left for Nationals, I was inexplicably devastated. I didn’t know why, as I knew you’d be back in a few days, but my heart just hurt dropping you off at the airport. I’m finding it nearly impossible to be separated from you. When you called to tell me about your duet, I found that I just had to be here to see your big debut. I always knew you’d be here in New York one day, and after hearing you and Rachel together, I know you’ll be back again. But I just couldn’t wait to come here to you. To tell you that…I love you, Kurt. I am SO in love with you.”

Kurt’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh God, Blaine, I love you too,” but before he could finish his last word, Blaine grabbed him and pulled him into a (somewhat) chaste but emotionally charged kiss.

The audience initially wasn’t sure what to think of what was happening right before their eyes. The New Yorkers were used to seeing men kiss before as New York City was very diverse, but a good portion of the audience was family members of the glee clubs performing. Many of them were from very conservative small towns and hadn’t seen such a display before. Even the New Yorkers, though, were a little surprised to see this happening on stage during a high school show choir competition. That was new to all.

Jesse St. James turned to Will Schuester. “Was that scripted?”

Will, shaking the shock out of his head, replied “No, no it wasn’t.”

And it wasn’t. Mr. Schuester knew Blaine was going to surprise Kurt somehow by coming out on stage and doing SOMETHING, but he wasn’t privy to the exact details. And after seeing the amazing display of love before him, he was glad he hadn’t known what was going to happen. It wouldn’t have been as awesome and emotional to him as it was had he known.

The sound of one young girl clapping came from the front row. Thankfully the crowd decided to embrace their inner romantics and joined the teenager in her exuberant applause. Not everyone was as accepting – there were a few scattered boos and tongue clucking heard around the auditorium. But for the most part, they felt as if they were seeing a romantic movie come to life in front of their eyes.

Blaine and Kurt, being startled out of their own little world at the sound of the applause, both turned bright red. Kurt felt extremely lucky that this had been their last song and it was time to leave the stage. As they turned to go backstage, they noticed that the New Directions members had already filed out quietly behind them and they were the only ones left on stage. They both turned just a little bit redder and rushed off stage. They were met by their friends – the girls with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces, the boys with high fives and single-armed man-hugs.

“That was the sweetest thing I have ever seen in my life,” sighed Rachel.

“Way to go BOO!” cheered Lauren as she high-fived Kurt.

“Dude, this is awesome. I just know someday you’ll be part of our family officially. Not that you aren’t now, ‘cause I totally see you like family and I know my mom and Burt do, too, but I can see you guys together for the long haul,” Finn babbled to Blaine.

Quinn approached Kurt with sadness and distance in her eyes. “Kurt, I have made a lot of mistakes in my fairly short life so far, but the biggest regret I will have is screwing up so much and so often with Finn. Please, learn from my mistakes and don’t mess up like I did.”

Kurt grinned a bit and replied, “Well, I don’t think I’ll be cheating on him and getting pregnant, but I see what you’re saying.” Quinn glared at him, but she wasn’t too serious. She had gotten to the point where little digs at her transgressions weren’t quite so painful to her anymore. “I honestly don’t think my heart would ever let me intentionally cause Blaine any harm. It’s not who I am, and I think if I hurt him in any way, I think I would be hurting myself even more.”

“Good. I approve, by the way. He can sing, he can dance, he’s GORGEOUS, and he understands you. That’s more than I ever got with Finn.”

“Thank you, he IS pretty amazing, isn’t he?” Kurt smiled. He couldn’t believe the turn of events but he most definitely wasn’t dumb enough to question anything. He didn’t want anything to distract him from the beautiful boy gazing at him with as much love and devotion as he was sure was displayed on his own face.

“The judges have made their final decision. Will all the show choirs please report to their assigned spots on stage?”

“Kurt, sweetie, I can’t go out there with you, but I want you to know – “

“No, Blaine. You’re coming out there with us. You may not go to McKinley with us, but you are a part of our group. You are friends with everyone in the club, you took time to help us make Prom better by performing, and most importantly, you’re with me. I say you’re coming out there with us. Right guys?”

“RIGHT!” every New Directions member yelled in unison. Even Mr. Schuester nodded his head in agreement.

“Okay, then, let’s go!” said Blaine, leading the singers to discover their fate.

**XXxXxXx**

“12th PLACE? This is a joke, right?” cried Mercedes.

“I just don’t understand! We were absolutely amazing!” said Quinn.

Rachel added, “I have never felt so good about a performance in my life! What happened?”

“Maybe they just don’t understand original songs. I noticed that NONE of the groups we were able to watch had anything original. Maybe we’re just not appreciated,” thought Tina.

“Yeah, we even stunned the audience into silence. I have never seen that happen before!” Finn added.

“Guys, I think that might just be it,” said Mr. Schuester. “I think the judges were pretty stunned, too, by that kiss. I’ve been reviewing your performance in my head since they announced the results, and that is the only other thing I can think of that we did differently than anyone else.”

Kurt gasped and tears filled his eyes. Blaine’s face fell and he felt his heart practically drop into his shoes.

Puck snorted. “Yeah, I’ll say that was different.”

“Guys, I am so, so sorry. I feel like all I’m doing is screwing up and apologizing around you, but you’ve got to know that if I had any idea this would affect the competition, I would have never done this. I would have found some other way to express,” he turned to grab Kurt’s hands, “my complete and total adoration for Kurt.”

“Blaine, please don’t apologize for this. I told you not to interrupt the songs at all, and you didn’t. I honestly didn’t think that anything done after the pieces were done would affect the standings.”

“Wait, Mr. Schuester, you KNEW about this?” exclaimed Kurt.

“Yeah, I did. Your boyfriend called me a couple days before we left and ran some ideas by me. He wanted to actually break into the middle of the song and sing with you, but a) I figured a student not from McKinley singing with you would probably break the rules somehow, and b) I was pretty certain I’d be scraping Blaine off the floor with a spatula if he dared to take Rachel’s part from her.”

Rachel smiled. “You’re right, Mr. Schue. I probably would have had to throttle Blaine. But I would have still stepped aside and let them have their moment. I love being in the spotlight, but Kurt and his happiness are more important. I’ve been forced to learn recently that it is most definitely NOT all about me, and that I have a tendency to do terrible things when I am trying to MAKE things all about me. For what it’s worth, that was the most wonderful thing I’ve ever been witness to, and it couldn’t have happened to two more deserving guys.”

Kurt wrapped his arms around Rachel. “Thank you, Rachel. And I just wanted to say, I forgive you.”

“Th-thank you, Kurt. Th-that’s all I ever wanted from you,” she stuttered through her tears. Of happiness, this time.

“Mr. Schue? Blaine and I need a few minutes alone. We’re going to go back to the hotel coffee shop and talk a bit, okay?”

“Sounds good. We’ll all be back there within the hour. I think I’d like to have a longer ‘post-game’ chat with you all, so we can sit down and discuss what we did great, what we need to work on – “

“Where you need to improve security to prevent yahoos like me bursting out on stage and ruining your chances to win…” sighed Blaine.

“No Blaine. You’re wrong. Let me tell you a little story. Back when I first took over the Glee club, I met a young man. A very, very, talented young man, but he always seemed to be a bit in the background. Not to mention, he always seemed to be digging himself out of dumpsters.” The group laughed at that. “Then he started standing up for himself. He came out to his friends. He singlehandedly, or footedly, as the case may be, was able to break the football team’s double-digit game losing streak with the help of Beyonce’s Single Ladies dance.”

“Oh God, someone please tell me there’s video of that,” begged Blaine.

“There is,” smiled Tina. “See me later, I’ll hook ya up.”

“He bravely took on the illustrious Rachel Berry in a diva-off in an attempt to wrestle a solo at Sectionals out of her grasp, and then selflessly threw the competition in order to keep his own father from suffering the repercussions of him taking a solo typically sung by a girl,” Mr. Schue continued. “He suffered the near loss of his father and began to be subject to the cruelty that can be inflicted on a young gay man by those who are scared and don’t understand someone who is different than them. Or perhaps even too alike for comfort. But then, this young man met another young man, and the veil of darkness surrounding him had begun to lift. He was smiling more, had more confidence, and more courage. And even though we temporarily lost him to another school, the other school, and this new boy, healed our young man and sent him back to us whole. And also brought us a new friend that I am honored to know and excited to learn more about. So, Kurt? Blaine? Don’t ever even think about apologizing for today’s events again. Ever! I have been witness to your story, and it has been beautiful. And I feel like I’m speaking for everyone in New Directions that it was all totally worth it.”

As Mr. Schuester finished his speech, he moved to embrace the two boys, who were both overwhelmed. Kurt buried his face into Mr. Schue’s shoulder as he accepted the hug. They then heard Finn yell out “GROUP HUG!” and felt the crush of twelve other bodies around them.

Blaine grabbed some tissues and began to dab the tears from Kurt’s face. “I think it’s probably time for that coffee now, don’t you think?” he asked Kurt.

“Yeah, totally. Just let me stop at the mens’ room first before we go. I absolutely can NOT go out in public with my eyes as puffy as I’m sure they are now.”

Blaine grinned. That sounded exactly like “his” Kurt. Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand and stared lovingly into his eyes. “I love you,” he sighed.

Kurt smiled. “I love you too, Blaine.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Okay, kids. I need you up and packed by 8:30am. Set your alarms, call for wakeup calls, morning people wake up the night owls – whatever it is you need to do to get up in time, do it, because I do not want any stragglers. If you miss the flight, you are on your own getting home.”

A chorus of Yes sirs and Got it, Mr. Schue was heard through the conference room.

“All right, see you all in the morning. Sleep well! Hey Blaine, have you made arrangements for where you’re going to stay?”

“Um, I had actually been hoping to hang out in one of the guys’ rooms tonight. I could get my own room somewhere, but it’d have to be at a different hotel because this one is kind of booked solid.”

“Let’s see – I don’t really feel comfortable putting you in with Finn and Kurt for obvious reasons, but the room that Sam, Artie, Puck, and Mike have I think has a sofabed that you could crash on. Or if you really wanted to, you could crash with me.”

“Sounds great, Mr. Schuester. I think I’ll go ahead and hang out with the guys. No offense, but regardless of the fact that you’re not MY teacher, you are an authority figure…”

“Totally got it, Blaine. Boys, I’m sure you’ll make Blaine feel at home?”

“You bet, Mr. Schue – we’ll take goooood care of Blaine,” smirked Puck.

The boys all met in the larger room, and Puck spoke for the group. “Okay, guys, we’re going to do you a solid. Our rooms are right next to each other and have connecting doors. After Schuester comes through for bed check, Blaine and Finn are going to do a switch. All of us have agreed to keep our mouths shut, so there’s no reason you guys shouldn’t share a room. All we ask is that you guys remember to switch back to the correct rooms in the morning so Schue doesn’t catch on, and that you guys don’t get too loud with each other.” Puck waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh hush, Puck. Not that it’s any of your business, but we are NOT at that stage in our relationship.”

“La la la la la,” sang Finn with his hands over his ears. “I don’t tell you things, you’re not going to tell me things. I won’t be able to live in the same house with you if I have certain mental pictures, Kurt.”

“Agreed. Don’t worry about us – we don’t plan on doing anything you haven’t already seen us do in public.”

The boys helped Blaine and Finn situate their belongings in the correct rooms, and then said their goodnights. As soon as the connecting door was shut, Blaine pressed Kurt up against the wall in a passionate embrace and kissed him deeply.

Kurt ran out of air and broke away from the kiss gasping. “Wow Blaine, that was amazing. But you did hear me, though, right? You know nothing’s going to happen?”

“Of course I do, Kurt. I know we’re not ready for much, and I totally intend to respect your limits. I know you will be entirely respectful of me as well.” He chose his next words carefully so he didn’t scare Kurt off. “But I was kinda hoping we could take a LITTLE bit advantage of this private room. I am dying to touch a little more than just your hands or face, Kurt.”

Kurt hung his head a little and blushed. He was a little embarrassed because he was so inexperienced, but he was excited, too. “I want that too, Blaine.”

Blaine took a seat on the edge of the bed and reached his arms out to Kurt. “C’mere baby. Come sit with me.” He squeezed Kurt tightly to his side with one arm. “Now, I’m going to try a couple of things with you. I’m going to ask you first if what I’m doing is okay, and then once you consent to something I’m going to assume it’s okay ‘til you tell me otherwise. You always get to tell me no if you want and I’ll stop right away.”

“That sounds really good, Blaine. Thank you. I feel kind of like a baby having to have you treat me like this, but I really appreciate it. I really do need it to be this way, and I am so lucky to have a boyfriend who understands my needs.”

“Kurt, I love you. I would do anything for you. And if it means I get to get closer to you, I’m all for it.”

He leaned closer and placed a butterfly kiss on Kurt’s neck. He shuddered as he felt Blaine’s breath on his skin.

“Was that a good shiver or a bad shiver?”

“A good one. A really good one.”

“Kurt, can I untuck your shirt?”

Kurt nodded in the affirmative and started to grab his shirt. Blaine grabbed his hands and stopped him.

“No, no, Kurt. This is my job. Let me, please?”

Kurt put his hands down as Blaine untucked his shirt. “May I touch you?”

“Yes,” breathed Kurt softly.

Blaine gently kissed Kurt on the lips as he slowly slid his hands underneath Kurt’s shirt. “Holy crap, Kurt. What have you been hiding under your clothes? You are totally buff!”

Kurt flushed. “I’ve been working out in the weight room at school. Puck and Finn insisted. They thought it might help with Karofsky just in case anything got physical.”

“Well, I approve. I figured you’d be toned since I know you take really good care of yourself, but this is a happy surprise. And I’m glad to know the guys have been looking out for you. Even though Karofsky isn’t a threat anymore, a little extra strength doesn’t hurt.”

“I don’t know how much good it would do,” Kurt scoffed. “Internally I am still a big wuss.”

“Oh you are not, Kurt! You’re still the strongest person I know, and I’m not even talking physically. You and your dad – the Hummels are made up of all sorts of great things.

“Now, where were we? Ahh yes, I was feeling up my sexy boyfriend’s amazing chest.” He tugged on Kurt’s shirt. “Can this come off?”

“Um, really? Why?”

“I was kind of hoping my eyes could enjoy the same treat my hands have been enjoying. But you don’t have to – I am more than happy just to be able to be close to you, Kurt. Remember, nothing you don’t want to do.”

“No, it’s okay. I just can’t imagine why you’d actually want to look. I’m nothing special to see.”

“ENOUGH, Kurt. That’s enough. I won’t have you talking smack about my beautiful boyfriend that way. You don’t see yourself clearly. At all. When I look at you I see everything I could have ever wanted in one package, and part of that is how amazingly attractive you are to me. My heart skips a beat every time I see you.”

Kurt’s heart melted. “Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Okay, I can lose the shirt.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I am. You said all the right things, and I feel good about it.”

Blaine reached for the buttons on the shirt and started undoing them. Well, trying to, anyway. He was so excited, and so NERVOUS!, that he was fumbling with them. Finally Kurt had to place his hands on Blaine’s to steady them and look into his eyes. No words were needed.

At last the final button was undone and Blaine was able to open Kurt’s shirt. A big whoosh of air escaped him as he took a good look. And the looking was GOOD.

“Blaine, you’re practically leering.”

“I can’t help it, babe. Looking at you is like living in one of my wet dreams. You’re amazing!”

“Wet dreams, huh? And just who do you dream about?”

“Well, let’s see here, there’s Daniel Radcliffe, I’ve always had a thing for Harry Potter, and….”

“Oh you tease!”

“I’m just kidding sweetie. You KNOW I only have eyes for you. And besides, I’m not being a tease if I intend to deliver.”

At that moment, Blaine gently urged Kurt to lie back on the bed. He hovered over Kurt while using his hands and lips to touch and kiss him all over his face, neck, and chest. Blaine nearly had his entire body on top of Kurt’s before Kurt felt himself getting dangerously aroused. Too much more and he would embarrass himself, and he wasn’t ready to go there tonight.

He frantically cried out, “No, too much, too fast. Gotta stop.”

Blaine immediately flipped himself onto the bed next to Kurt and groaned, “Oh my GOD.”

Kurt thought Blaine was complaining and felt very small at that moment. “I’m sorry, Blaine, it’s just that – “

“No Kurt, it’s fine. Totally fine. More than fine. Awesome even. I have never, ever been this turned on in my life. It’s really good you stopped us. I could’ve easily been convinced into something we’re not ready for, and I don’t want to do that to us.”

“Just for the record, I really enjoyed that. I… I almost enjoyed it a little too much.”

“Me too, sweetie. Me too. And that would have been okay, too. That’s why there’s towels, showers, and washing machines, right?”

Kurt looked up at his boyfriend and laughed. “I guess you’re right. Hey, look at the time. We should really get to sleep or we’ll never get up in time to make the plane. Much as I’d love to spend some time in New York with you, I’d like to survive to come back here some day.”

Blaine chuckled. “Yeah, I gotta agree with you there. You want the bathroom first?”

“Okay, thanks. I won’t be too long.” Kurt rummaged through his suitcase and grabbed some clean pajamas to change into.

“Oh, and honey?”

“Yes?”

“Leave the shirt off.”

“Um, okay. But that means you gotta leave yours off, too,” Kurt said as he quickly scurried off into the bathroom.

Blaine smiled. This being in love thing definitely suited him. And having a boyfriend who, while naïve and inexperienced, was willing to play and explore was awesome, too. Though he could see himself having to deal with blue balls for awhile. His pursuits above the waist were easy enough for Kurt to handle, but Blaine knew that anything below the waist was going to take awhile. That was more than okay, though. Even an idiot could see that Kurt was worth it, and Blaine was no idiot.

Blaine quickly stripped and tossed on some sleep pants. Though he usually went commando under his pajamas, he figured this would not be the time to do so. Not only that, he figured he could probably use a little extra “support” in that area if he was going to be sleeping next to Kurt.

He was propped up against a couple of pillows checking his email on his phone when Kurt came out of the bathroom. “It’s all yours,” he said.

Blaine hopped up and grabbed his toiletry bag. “I’m just going to brush my teeth and I’ll be right back out.”

He was so quick that Kurt was still standing next to the bed, obviously debating something in his head.

“What’s up?”

“I was just wondering how we’re going to do this?”

“It’s simple. I’m going to get in the bed, and you’re going to get in the bed, and then we’re going to cuddle as we sleep. Easy peasy. Do you have a side you prefer?”

“Um, yeah. I’d kind of like to sleep to your left. I..uh, I really want to lay with my head close to your heart so I can hear it beating as I fall asleep. God, that’s so cheesy!”

“Actually, that’s really kind of beautiful. I hope you’ll allow me the same opportunity the next time we get to share a bed.”

Kurt smiled sleepily as he cuddled up into Blaine’s side. He rested his right ear on Blaine’s chest and draped his left arm across his stomach. Blaine gave the sleepy boy in his arms a gentle squeeze and kissed him on the top of the head.

Blaine quietly began to sing.

_Goodnight, sweetheart, well, it's time to go,  
Goodnight, sweetheart, well, it's time to go,  
I hate to leave you, I really must say,  
Oh Goodnight, sweetheart, goodnight._

Kurt fell asleep with a huge smile on his face. So did Blaine.

**xXxXxXx**

_Hmm, I know I like a firm pillow, but this is ridiculous_ , Kurt thought. _Mmmmm but it’s nice and warm. And it’s…moving?_

Kurt woke up somewhat confused until he remembered where he was. He was curled up in virtually the same position he fell asleep in – ear on Blaine’s chest, listening to his heart beat. _Right…_ he thought. _Yesterday, best day of my life. Which means now I’m in bed, alone with my boyfriend. Which means it’s a damn fine morning, too._

Until he noticed where his hand was. He groggily followed his arm and found his hand. In Blaine’s lap. And while Blaine didn’t notice that his hand was there, something else did. And it was eager to greet him.

“EEP!” Kurt squeaked and jerked his hand away, which ended up waking Blaine.

“WHAT? I’m up! What’s wrong?”

“Um, yeah, I’ll say you’re up.”

“Huh?” He looked down. “Oh yeah, well, this is embarrassing. But is that a problem? ‘Cause if you’re scared of me, we’re gonna have a little more work to do than I thought.”

“NO! No, not at all. It’s just that, I realize it’s morning and all, but I think I might be partially responsible for that today.”

“Well yeah, I dream about you all the time. How can I not? You’re hot and you’re mine. The stuff the best dreams are made of.”

“I’m flattered, but I think it’s because I woke up with my hand there.”

“HOLY CRAP, you mean that wasn’t a dream? I totally dreamt that you had your hand on me this morning and it felt so good, but I must have been semi-conscious at some point if that really happened.”

 _“Oh God, please kill me now,”_ Kurt mumbled into his pillow.

“Awww my poor little Kurtsie, so embarrassed!”

“Don’t make me smack you, Blaine. You know I’m all buff now!”

“You know you wouldn’t, though, ‘cause you love me and you think I’m sexy and you totally want to grope me in my sleep again.”

“BLAINE!” Kurt yelled as he chased Blaine into the bathroom.

“Um Kurt? I assumed this was ‘party of one’ in here. Unless you really WANT to join me in the shower.”

“I can’t take you anywhere, can I? You are absolutely incorrigible. Take your shower. ALONE. I’m gonna get your crap ready to toss back into the boys’ room.”

“Hey adorable?”

“What?” Kurt huffed.

Blaine reached around Kurt from behind and gave him a huge squeeze and then rested his chin on Kurt’s shoulder. “I love you!” he said with the world’s cutest puppy dog face.

“I’m going to have my hands full with you, I can tell.”

“THAT’S WHAT HE SAID!” Blaine yelled as he spun around and ran back into the bathroom. He slammed the door shut before Kurt could run after him.

 _“Ass.”_ Kurt muttered. _“Supermegafoxyawesomehot ass.”_

“I HEARD THAT!” Blaine yelled from the shower.

 _Oh Blaine_ , Kurt thought. _Your clothes are SO going in the other room. They are ALL going in the other room. Every last piece_. He heard the water running and Blaine singing in the shower. He decided to take a chance and jiggle the doorknob. Unlocked. _PERFECT._

Kurt was able to sneak in and grab Blaine’s discarded clothes and all the bath towels. He left the hand towels and washcloths behind. _Oops, bath mat – better grab that, too_. He quietly slipped back out and dragged everything into the connecting room.

“Hey Kurt? How was your night last night? Did you get any?” asked Puck.

“SHHHHHHH! I hear the shower turning off over there. Wait… for….it….”

“KURT!!!!!”

“Aaaaand that’s my cue. Sorry boys, gotta fly. I’ll be hiding behind Santana, Mercedes, and Lauren – they’ll save me.”

Kurt dashed out of the room just as Blaine burst in with a bedspread around his waist, his hair dripping wet.

“WHERE IS HE?” he growled.

The guys all took one look at Blaine and cracked up. Sam started snorting, and Artie just about fell face first out of his chair.

“You just missed him, dude,” said Puck. “The boy can run fast – we should have kept him on the football team as more than just our kicker.”

“So what’d you do to deserve this kind of treatment, Blaine?” asked Finn. “Kurt usually doesn’t start things, but he’s pretty good at finishing them.”

“I may have gone a little too far this morning.”

“WHAT? You didn’t push him into doing anything he didn’t want to do, did you? Because I swear to God I will kick - “ threatened Finn.

“What? NO! No, no way! I wouldn’t ever do that to Kurt! I love your brother and I promised to follow his own pace and I will never, EVER break that promise.” He shook his head. “Please don’t ever think such a thing about me again. I would NEVER.”

“Okay, I believe you. But really, what happened?”

“Hey, can you show me where Kurt hid my stuff? I’ll have this conversation with you, but I’d like to change out of this bedspread into something that’s been washed this year. Hotel bedspreads are nasty if those news shows are to be believed.”

“Sure – it’s all over in the corner over there. You go ahead and change, and I’ll get my stuff back in Kurt’s room, and then we can talk for a few before we have to catch the shuttle bus to the airport.”

After the boys were situated, Blaine and Finn sat down. Of course, Artie, Puck, Mike, and Sam didn’t want to miss this conversation so they stuck close by.

“It was nothing horribly serious or anything, but apparently I have yet to figure out exactly what his limits are when it comes to teasing. VERBAL teasing,” he was quick to assure Finn when Blaine saw him cringe a bit. “Don’t worry – I’m not telling you a single thing about anything physical that may or may not have happened.”

“Good,” Finn said with relief. “I still don’t want to hear about that stuff. But I’ll tell ya, Blaine, here’s how you can tell when he’s had enough. He can take whatever you throw at him as long as he has something to throw back at you in return. If he stops responding to you, it’s time to stop because stick a fork in him, he’s done. He can take a lot, and he’s a good sport, but he does have his limits. Stop before he gets there and you’ll avoid being left alone in a hotel shower with no clothes or towels,” Finn said with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m not gonna live this one down, am I?”

“Absolutely not,” stated Puck. “We have to have SOMETHING to hold over your head. Until we get to know you better and dig up other dirt on you, this is as good as anything else.”

Blaine shook his head and laughed. “Well, thanks guys. Even though you now have great blackmail material, I still feel as though I fit in with you guys way more than I ever have with anyone else.”

“You’re all right, Blaine,” said Sam. “You’re a good match with our group. Don’t be a stranger.”

“All right, I suppose I better go find my boyfriend and grovel.”

“He’s in the girls’ room. He said he was going to be hiding behind Santana, Mercedes, and Lauren. I wish you much luck – those girls are frickin’ scary when it comes to protecting Kurt.”

“Are you scared of them, Puck?” teased Blaine.

“Hell yeah! You’ve seen Santana when she’s pissed! Here’s some advice. Keep your hands over your groin at all times.”

“That’s what got us in all this trouble in the first place,” Blaine whispered to himself.

“What?” asked Finn.

“Oh nothing, nothing,” Blaine said quickly. “Gotta run. I’ll see you guys on the bus!”

Blaine grabbed his and Kurt’s luggage and went down the hall to the girls’ room. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The face that peeked out was Santana’s. Shit. “Is Kurt in there?”

“So what if he is?”

“Could you please tell him that his extremely remorseful boyfriend is here to grovel and kiss his feet if necessary?”

“Hmmm, sounds intriguing. I might like to see that. Kurt, are you accepting visitors?”

“Maybe. Does he look sorry?”

“Yes.”

“Is he bearing gifts?”

“No, but he did haul all your crap from your room down here without help. I’ve seen how much luggage you brought with you, so I think that should be considered a mark in his favor.”

“Does he have that impossible to say no to puppy dog face?”

Blaine quickly plastered the puppy dog look on his face.

“Oh jeez, Kurt. How the hell do you ever resist that look?”

“That’s just it. I can’t. Hi Blaine,” Kurt said as he came to the door.

“I’m sorry for teasing you, sweetie. Apparently I haven’t learned your limits yet. Please forgive me?”

“Turn off the puppy dog, Blaine. I can’t think.”

Blaine wiped the look off his face. “Is this better?”

“Well, it’s getting there. But your lips would look a lot better if they were on mine.”

Blaine’s face lit up with a huge smile. “Your wish, my command.” He put his arms around Kurt’s waist and leaned in for a deep kiss.

“Shit that’s hot.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and reluctantly broke off the kiss. “Santana, give it up. We are not having a threesome.”

“I had to ask. You know how to find me if you ever change your mind.”

“Perverts. My friends are perverts.”

“Yeah, but you love them.”

“I do. But I love you more, Blaine.”

“I love you too Kurt. Am I forgiven now?”

“Yes, you are forgiven. Now, let’s go down to the bus. Mr. Schuester will be wanting to get moving soon.”


	9. Chapter 9

“It is so good to be home. Thanks for picking us up at the airport, Dad.”

“No problem, kiddo. It’s good to have you back. All three of you. Although Carole and I were happy to have the house to ourselves for a while, we never did get to go on that honeymoon…” Burt winked.

“Okay Dad, that’s enough. Delicate ears in the room!”

Burt laughed loudly, “Just paying you back for some of the stuff you’ll eventually say that I don’t want to hear either, son. Blaine, you heading home or are you sticking around for a bit?”

“I better head out, Burt,” Blaine replied. “My parents had mentioned having family night tonight, and it’s my turn to pick the movie. Plus we’ve got school tomorrow and I’ve got some work to make up. I blew off a few assignments to fly to New York.”

“Blaine!” Kurt protested. “You shouldn’t have done that. You didn’t miss any finals, did you?”

“Relax, hon. I made all necessary arrangements before I left. Everything is fine.” Blaine reassured him.

“Still. You shouldn’t be blowing off your school work for me,” Kurt scolded. “School is important, and I am well aware of how much tougher Dalton is compared to McKinley.”

“Really, Kurt. It’s okay. For one thing, my teachers know exactly why I left. To tell you the God’s honest truth, they were all really happy to see me do something spontaneous. I have a reputation of being almost too serious when it comes to school. And the ones that knew you really liked you, Kurt. They think you’re really good for me. And I think so, too. I just kind of figured this impromptu trip was an investment in our future.”

“You see a future with me, Blaine?”

“I don’t see my future without you in it, Kurt. I love you.”

“I love you too, Blaine.”

The boys were about to kiss when they heard a throat clearing across the room. Burt was looking a little uncomfortable, and Carole had joined him by then.

“As lovely as that was to witness, there are probably some things that should be saved for each other’s eyes only, and I have a feeling that could have easily become one of those things,” Carole chided.

“Yeah, right, gotta run,” Blaine muttered in embarrassment.

Stuttering a quick goodbye, Blaine rushed out the door with promises to call Kurt later for a little pre-bedtime chat.

“Kurt, can we talk a moment?”

“Sure Dad, what about?”

“Just talk. I don’t feel like we’ve been able to snag the time to catch up and have some father-son time,” Burt explained, leading him to sit on the couch.

“Yeah, it’s really been busy, what with Nationals and my transfer back to McKinley and finals and all that,” Kurt replied, realizing his preoccupation.

“And Blaine.”

“Yes, and Blaine,” Kurt sheepishly agreed.

“How’s your relationship going?”

“I am on cloud 9, Dad,” He sighed, “If this is how love truly feels, I never want to be out of love.”

“How does it feel for you, Kurt?”

“It’s so hard to describe, but let’s see. We definitely have this connection. When we’re near each other, we seem to move in tandem. I move, he moves. My heart feels so full it could burst, but there always seems to be room for just a little bit more every time I find something else I love about him. I don’t know. Whenever I’m not with him, it just feels like there is something wrong. Something missing. That last missing puzzle piece that completes the picture.” Kurt was gushing, caught up in the euphoria of his new experiences.

Burt nodded and grinned, “You have got it BAD, kid.”

“I know. It’s kind of scary feeling this deeply for someone at my age, but it also feels absolutely amazing. Like I could conquer the world all by myself as long as I had this love in my heart.”

Burt chuckled, “For what it’s worth, Blaine already feels like my son. I really hope we get to keep him.”

“I do too, Dad. I really feel like we’re in it for the long haul.”

“Good. Um, did anything happen between the two of you last night in the hotel room?”

Kurt choked on the sip of water he was drinking at that exact moment. “Um, who told you we were alone together last night?”

“No one had to tell me.” Burt tapped the side of his temple, “A father just knows these things. A boy and a girl in love will sneak around to try to be together, and I don’t imagine it’s any different for two boys in love.”

“You’re really going to make me talk about this?” Kurt cringed, blushing.

Burt shook his head slowly, smiling at his son. “I’m not going to MAKE you, but I really wish you would. You and I have always had a good thing going with each other, especially since your mom died. It’s just been us two Hummels against the world. I don’t want that to change now just because we have Carole, Finn, and Blaine in our lives. I’m still your dad, and you’re still my son, and I want to be a part of your life.”

“Okay, Dad. I feel that way, too. So I’ll talk. Yes, we did spend the night together. Nothing went too far. Before we even laid down together, Blaine told me that he’d always ask permission every time he wanted to try something new, and that I always had the right to tell him no. There was some… touching. Above the waist, but under the clothes. He was 100% respectful to me, Dad, and there was never a time I felt uncomfortable with him.”

Burt sighed with relief. “That’s good, Kurt, really good. I just never want you to think that sex is just sex. When you're intimate with someone in that way, you gotta know that you're exposing yourself. You're never gonna be more vulnerable, and that scares the hell out of a lot of guys. You gotta know that it means something. It's doing something to you, to your heart, to your self-esteem, even though it feels like you're just having fun. When you're ready, I want you to be able to do everything. But when you're ready, I want you to use it as a way to connect to another person, whether it ends up being Blaine or not. Don't throw yourself around like you don't matter, because you do matter, Kurt."

“Thanks, Dad. This really means a lot to me. And please don’t worry. We are going very slow. We don’t want to rush into anything because like you said, we want it to mean something. I refuse to give myself to someone who doesn’t understand how important this is. This step is huge, and whoever gets to take that step with me better understand its worth and deserve it. And it’s most likely going to be Blaine that I share myself with. I can picture our future together so clearly that it’s almost reality in my head. And I want it so badly.” Kurt smiled dreamily, hugging himself.

Burt swelled with pride at the maturity and joy displayed by the young man his boy had suddenly turned into. “It’s good to see you in love. It suits you. And it puts this smile on your face that lights up the room. I never noticed before, but I don’t think you were ever truly happy since your mom died. You would smile, but it would never carry over to your eyes. I think you were content, complacent, and just plain okay with life, but now that I know the difference. I can SEE you are truly happy now, and you weren’t before. It makes my heart explode in a good way.”

“I am. I am 100% truly ecstatic with my life right now. If you stop and think about it, Kurt Hummel has had a pretty good year. I got to ride in an airplane for the first time, I got to sing on a Broadway stage, I found Blaine, we brought Carole and Finn into the family, I didn’t lose you… I know life isn’t all roses, but it is nice to be on the upswing for awhile,” Kurt mused.

“Ain’t that the truth, kiddo,” Burt agreed, and then shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. “Now, I have one more thing to say to you. We are probably both going to be embarrassed as hell, but we’re gonna get this over with and we will never have to revisit it again unless you have questions, and then we’ll figure something out. I stopped by the free clinic and got you some information. It’s about the, um, mechanics of sex. I could tell you what you need to know about boy-girl sex, but I can’t begin to tell you the first thing about your kind, so this is what I could come up with for you. If you have questions after reading them, come to me and I’ll help you find your answers. Don’t Google anything – that internet will probably feed you lies and show you pictures you won’t want to see. There are a bunch of perverts out there.”

“Pardon me while I do my tomato impression, but thanks, Dad. I appreciate you doing your best to be a great dad and understand me. This may not be comfortable for either of us, but it’s way better than ignoring the issue.”

“Yeah, ignoring things never helps. Well, good talk, son. Is there anything you need to talk to me about right now?” Burt patted Kurt’s shoulder preparing to leave.

“Nope, I got it. After I read these, I’ll let you know if I think of anything. And Dad?”

“Yes Kurt?”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever said this to you before, but you are an amazing dad. I know with a kid like me and with Mom passing away, you’ve had to work harder at this parenting thing, but you are everything I could have hoped for in a dad. I love you so much.”

Burt did something he almost never did – he started to tear up. “Thank you, Kurt. I needed to hear that. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve really done right by you, but I am so proud to call you my son. I love you too.”

Kurt and Burt hugged fiercely and were interrupted by Finn. “Whoa, is everything okay?”

“No worries, Finn. We’re just bonding. I’d offer to have you join us, but I don’t think you want to know what we were talking about,” said Kurt.

“I’ll trust your judgment. Is there anything to eat around here?”

Kurt took that as his cue to leave. He quickly grabbed his pamphlets off the table before Finn could see them. Kurt didn’t know if he was ready to read the information now. He and Blaine were certainly not anywhere close to that stage in their relationship. He figured that touching was pretty universal and something that he could figure out by himself. He decided to leave the pamphlets until the point in time where he could see something more intimate approaching.


	10. Chapter 10

Several weeks later, all the members of New Directions, plus Blaine their honorary member, were kicked back in Rachel's basement with snacks and beverages (thankfully of the non-alcoholic variety this time) watching movies. School had been out for the summer for over a week and this was the first chance that everyone had had to get together. All the boys, minus Kurt, wanted something gory and/or action-filled. The girls, and Kurt, of course wanted something sappy. A real tear-jerker would be best. The bickering went on until Rachel played the "it's my house" card and pulled out all the "chick-flicks".

A chorus of groans could be heard for miles around. Finally Blaine spoke up. "Guys, I have an idea. How about the movie Rent? It's got the sappy love stories and the teary scenes for the girls, but it's not so sappy that you guys would grow the vaginas you're all so terrified of getting. And since we all love to sing, I think it would be fun to treat it kind of like a sing-along."

"That's not a bad idea, Blaine. Not bad at all. We'll still be dangerously close to losing our man cards, but it's still better than being forced to sit through The Notebook," agreed Puck. "I have a feeling that's the best we're going to do as far as movies go tonight."

Blaine smiled. To tell the truth, he knew that The Notebook was one of Kurt's favorite movies, and he kind of liked it too, but he sure wasn't going to say anything lest the complaining start back up again.

Rachel popped the movie into the DVD player and rejoined Finn on the couch. Blaine and Kurt were in the oversized arm chair in the corner. Kurt was more than happy to curl up in Blaine's lap, and Blaine of course relished any excuse to wrap his arms around his boyfriend.

The opening number, _Seasons of Love_ , came on, and everyone began to sing.

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,_ _  
_Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear._   
_Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_   
_How do you measure, measure a year?_ _

Rachel, of course, took the first verse, and surprisingly, Kurt took the second. Blaine wouldn't have pictured Kurt singing that verse since it was usually sung by an African American man with a "beefier" voice, but Kurt never ceased to amaze him. His talent knew no bounds. The rest of the group joined in until the end when Mercedes, resident high note wailer, took charge of the end solo. The song ended and everyone looked around at one another.

"Holy crap. We should have done THAT at Nationals," stated Finn. "We would have kicked Vocal Adrenaline's asses."

"I agree. That was amazing. But we would have had to kill one of the original songs to fit that one in, because I would have never, EVER given up _For Good_ for anything," said Kurt as he looked lovingly at Blaine.

Kurt heard exaggerated gagging noises coming from the corner of the room. "Really, Puckerman?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Ooh! I LOVE this song!" cried Rachel. "Blaine, it's totally in your range. Give it a try!"

"Oh wow, okay. Um, let me see if I remember the words…"

_One song glory_ _  
_One song before I go_   
_Glory_   
_One song to leave behind_   
_Find one song_   
_One last refrain_   
_Glory_   
_From the pretty boy front man_   
_Who wasted opportunity_ _

_Hmm, pretty boy front man who wasted opportunity,_ thought Blaine as he was singing. How ironic. Sounds like even the song knew I could have had Kurt months ago.

Blaine finished the song and Mercedes dropped to her knees in front of him and started doing the "We're not worthy" bow.

"Daaaaaamn boy! You need to ditch the top forty pop stuff and do some more of this!" said Artie, very impressed with what he had just heard.

Blaine shrugged. _"_ I always wanted to do something Broadway. But unfortunately, the Warblers don't 'do' Broadway. Most showtunes don't really lend themselves well to beatboxing and vocal percussion. _"_

Kurt had tears in his eyes and was just about to gush about how much he loved Blaine's song when Santana yelled out, "This girl's Latina and she's fuckin' hot, so this song is MINE. Puck, sing with me!"

As Santana and Puck danced and seduced their way through _Light My Candle,_ Kurt curled up in Blaine's arms and whispered in his ear, "When you sing, you make me want to cry and turn me on at the same time. How do you do that?"

"I'm just that good, babe!"

"You're modest, too, aren't you?" Kurt giggled, digging him in the ribs.

Blaine leered at Kurt. "If ya got it, flaunt it, and baby I got it!"

"Okay, yeah, I'll totally give you that one. But seriously, your vocals are stunning. I wish we were all in New Directions together. We need to find someone of your caliber to join us. Finn holds his own, but he's merely very good. We need someone absolutely spectacular."

"Never know what's gonna happen, sweetie. Maybe everything you're looking for will walk in the door in one neat package next year."

"What are you, psychic?"

"No, I just have this gut feeling that next year is going to be New Directions' year."

Kurt was somewhat suspicious. He was a bit of a paranoid sort sometimes anyway, but his "uh-oh meter" was going off. Blaine was hiding something. He didn't think it was anything bad, but Blaine's voice tended to rush just the teeniest little bit when he wasn't being totally truthful. Most people wouldn't pick up on it, but Kurt prided himself on being a very attentive boyfriend, so he knew something was up. He decided to drop the idea, just to give himself more time to think about it and figure out ways to drag more information out of Blaine.

"Guys, guys, guys! Check it out! It's _Over the Moon_. Brits, you's gots to do this one!" Santana slipped into her combination 'Latina/Lima Heights Adjacent' dialect.

Kurt giggled and then whispered to Blaine, "Have you actually seen this scene performed before?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, I've only heard the soundtrack. This is that really bizarre song or reading or whatever you want to call it, right?"

"Oh. Em. Gee, Blaine. You are going to pee yourself. The actual visual is even stranger than just hearing the recording, and Brittany is absolutely perfect. She can copy Idina exactly, and dare I say, she might actually be BETTER at it?"

"Oh, this I gotta see."

Everyone in the room cracked up to watch Brittany imitating Idina Menzel's character, Maureen, exactly. From the hair flips and goofy poses to the silly voices and mooing, it was the funniest thing any of them had witnessed live. Blaine was laughing so hard he wasn't able to make any coherent sound anymore, and Kurt had tears streaming from his eyes.

"Brittany, we have GOT to get you on stage somewhere. You should join Blaine, Rachel and me in New York for college and try to get a gig in a show somewhere," said Kurt.

The room went silent. _Oh boy,_ thought Kurt _. I wasn't supposed to say anything_.

Rachel was glaring at Kurt. Blaine was pretending nothing ever happened. But Finn was frantic. "What? What is this about New York? When did you all decide this? And why did no one say anything to me?"

Kurt sighed. Since he's the one who screwed up and let it slip, he figured he'd better be the one to fix this.

"Finn, Rachel and I have had dreams practically since birth of being on a big Broadway stage, and thankfully we were both blessed with the talent to pull it off. It's nearly impossible to break into the business as it is, but if we stay near Lima, we might as well kiss our dreams goodbye. We have to go to New York or no one will ever discover us. After talking about it recently, I found that Blaine had already planned on going to New York for school as well, so of course our plans expanded to include him. All three of us plan on auditioning for Juilliard, and any one of us who doesn't make it in there has a choice of many other good schools in the area."

Rachel added, "Finn, I was dreading saying anything to you because I know you want to go to Ohio State. I wanted to wait until there were more definite plans."

"That's crap, Rachel. Why did you really wait? Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"NO!" cried Rachel. "No Finn, that's not it at all. It's just… I know you're very likely to be considered for a full ride at OSU. I didn't want to be the reason you don't accept a scholarship. I love you Finn, but dreams are important. I don't want you to deny yourself just because of me. If we're meant to be, our relationship will survive."

Finn struggled with his next words. "I think I need to be alone for awhile. I'm going to go home to think. We will talk soon, okay?"

"Okay," Rachel said tearily. "I love you, Finn."

"I love you too. But I need to go." Finn turned and rushed up the steps.

Rachel then burst out into a full-blown crying fit. Kurt approached her and whispered, "I am so sorry. I have a really big mouth."

"It's okay, Kurt. I know you didn't mean to. We'll figure it out. At least he didn't dump me this time, right?"

Kurt gave Rachel a big bear hug. "I think it's probably about time for us to go, too." The movie forgotten, the rest of the group agreed and started picking up trash. Sam and Puck helped Artie get upstairs, and the others left one by one.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, which comforted Kurt greatly. "Thank you," Kurt said. "You always know just when I need someone to take care of me."

"C'mon, sweetie. My parents won't be back home until morning, and Burt won't be looking for you for a couple more hours. Let's just go and be alone together for awhile."

**xXxXxXx**

"Oh Blaine, how **do** you live in here? This place has absolutely no personality," Kurt said of Blaine's sparsely decorated bedroom.

"Well, I'm hardly here nine months of the year, and when I am at home, I'm almost never in my room. It's pretty much only used for sleeping."

"You also didn't have me before. If you're going to be having me over more often, I don't know if I can function in such a boring room. You need floor pillows and a matching bedding set and…"

"Kurt, if I'm going to be having you over more often, I can guarantee you won't be having enough time to even notice the décor," said Blaine suggestively. He stared right into Kurt's eyes with his big brown eyes, and Kurt was instantly lost. He also felt a spark shoot straight through his body into his groin, and he silently groaned. Kurt had never felt this way before, and he didn't know if he was ready for it, but he was going to give it a try. Gently he pushed Blaine down on the bed and straddled his lap.

"Oh God, Kurt," he groaned. He grabbed Kurt's shirt collar and pulled him right down on top of them. "I need you closer to me."

The two boys immediately began kissing desperately. Kurt couldn't get enough of touching Blaine's face and neck, and Blaine snaked his hands up under Kurt's shirt. Blaine also gently began rocking his hips back and forth against Kurt. Kurt froze.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I, um, I can feel you when you do that."

"I can feel you, too. Our entire bodies are pressed up against each other."

"Um, no, I mean, I can feel you, y-your… _you know…_ " whispered Kurt.

"My cock? I've been hard for you the last hour, Kurt."

Kurt buried his face in the crook of Blaine's neck. " _Oh my God_ ," he mumbled.

"Okay, Kurt, let's talk a minute. C'mon, look at me? Please?"

Kurt complied and reluctantly met Blaine's gaze.

"Honey, we need to get over the awkwardness if we're going to enjoy being with each other. It's a penis, Kurt. We've both got 'em. We're both eventually going to have a lot of fun with them. Yes, it's hard. I am so attracted to you and so turned on by you that I am just about always hard every time you're around, or when I'm thinking about you. And if I'm not mistaken, you were pretty excited to be with me, too."

Kurt's face was burning with embarrassment. He tried to hide his face again, but Blaine grabbed his chin. "No Kurt, don't hide from me. If we have to hide from each other, then we probably shouldn't be together, and that is just not acceptable to me. Please look at me." Kurt reluctantly looked back up and Blaine continued.

"That's better. I love looking into your beautiful blue eyes. Now, tell me, Kurt. Did it feel good when I ground my cock into yours?"

Kurt nodded.

"Speak up, sweetie. I need you to say the words out loud."

"Yes, it felt really good," whispered Kurt.

"Do you want me to do it again?"

"God yes." Kurt groaned.

"Tell me what you want me to do, Kurt."

"I-I w-want you to grind your c-c-cock into mine again. I l-liked it."

"Good, Kurt. Please don't ever be afraid to ask for what you want. And you don't have to call it your cock if it feels weird to you, but please pick something. Oh, but please don't call it your manhood or member 'cause quite honestly those words make me laugh. They're silly. Cock, dick, penis if you have to, but please call it something. It's kinda awkward if you yell, 'Oh Blaine, please touch my _you know_ ' in the middle of something," Blaine grinned.

Kurt chuckled. He had to admit, some of those words for penises are definitely pretty stupid.

"Okay, Blaine. I'll try. And you know what?"

"What sweetie?"

"It sounds really good when you say cock. It sounds dirty, and it makes me want to be dirty with you." He smiled.

"Kurt, you can't say that to me. I can barely control myself around you as it is."

Blaine rolled them over so he was hovering over Kurt on the bed this time. "I need to touch you. Can I touch you, Kurt?"

"Please," he breathed.

Blaine eagerly stripped Kurt's shirt off him and ran his hands all over Kurt's body. After a couple of moments, his hands went lower to the button Kurt's pants. "May I?" he asked.

Kurt hesitated. Blaine noticed and started to move away from the button. Kurt put his hand on Blaine's and gently stopped him. "You can undo the button and zipper but the pants stay on. Is that okay?"

"Fuck, Kurt. That's more than okay." Blaine's hands were shaking but he did manage to unbutton and unzip Kurt's pants with little difficulty.

"Wait! Stop!" Kurt pleaded.

Blaine jerked his hands back. "What's wrong? What did I do?"

"No, no, Blaine, it's okay, it's just…you can touch, but over my underwear, okay? I don't think I'm ready for that kind of contact quite yet," said Kurt quietly.

"Phew, you scared me. I'm trying so hard to do things just right with you."

"I know you are Blaine, and I adore you for it." Kurt pulled Blaine's face to his own and kissed him passionately. Their tongues eagerly explored each other's mouths. Blaine lifted himself up just enough to be able to run his hand down to Kurt's pants but not break the kiss. Kurt jerked a bit as he felt Blaine touching him, but then he relaxed. He was going to allow himself to feel good. The warmth of Blaine's gentle touch was already almost more than he could handle, but he was not going to come yet. He knew the embarrassment he felt before wouldn't begin to compare to the mortification he'd feel if things ended too soon. He was SO hard, though. He had never needed relief this badly before.

"Kurt? Do you want to touch me? You can, you know."

"I really do, but, um, I'm not going to last more than a second more if I get my hand on you. But, um, you look like you need it as much as I do. We could grind against each other again. I really liked that," said Kurt shyly. He was getting over his embarrassment, but he still was feeling nervous about voicing his needs and wants to Blaine.

"Fuck yes, Kurt. That sounds amazing. But honey? I know you said the pants would have to stay on, but grinding against zippers and buttons is really uncomfortable. We guys ARE kind of sensitive down there. It would really be most comfortable if we took our pants off, but we don't have to if you're not okay with it."

Kurt thought about it for a moment. "You promise we won't go any further?"

Blaine raised his right hand and covered his heart with his left hand. "I promise. You can trust me, Kurt," he vowed.

"Well, okay. I do trust you. And I love you."

"I love you too, Kurt."

Both boys stripped down to their underwear and Kurt lay back down on the bed. As Blaine lowered his body to rest lightly on top of Kurt, he felt Kurt trembling slightly. "Relax, sweetheart. This will feel amazing."

Kurt looked into the beautiful boy's face and relaxed. He knew his boy wouldn't let anything hurt him. He whimpered as Blaine settled down on top of him. The sensations were overwhelming. Blaine hadn't even begun to move yet and he knew that the fun was just about to be over even before it had begun.

Blaine began to rock his hips again, and this time, knowing what to expect, Kurt felt his own hips moving in response. With the extra stimulation, Kurt knew that he would be rocketing toward his first ever orgasm in a manner of moments. He shut his eyes tight, willing the inevitable explosion to stay away as long as possible, but it wasn't working.

"Are you okay baby? You have a weird look on your face."

"I'm okay, Blaine," Kurt panted. "I'm just, ugh, trying to hold off a little…while…longer…"

Blaine grinned evilly. He moved his mouth right next to Kurt's ear and whispered, "You wanna come, huh baby? Gonna explode all over yourself, just for me? C'mon sweetie, let go. I bet you have a really sexy O-face."

Wanting to tip Kurt over the edge he himself was clinging to, he licked behind Kurt's ear. Blaine knew that that was a really sensitive area and he was willing to bet that it would drive Kurt crazy.

He was right. Kurt gasped and called out Blaine's name loudly, and Blaine felt Kurt's cock twitch and a warmth spreading across his groin. That was enough to send Blaine over the edge as well. His entire body stiffened and he chanted Kurt's name in his ear as he rode out his climax.

Both boys were gasping and breathing heavily as they came down from their highs.

"Holy shit, that was incredible," declared Blaine.

Kurt agreed, panting, "I've never felt that way before."

"You've never orgasmed before, Kurt?"

"Um, no. I've, um, thought about masturbating, but it just seemed kinda weird."

"Well, now that you know what you're missing, you think you're gonna want to do that again sometime?" Blaine asked, softly stroking Kurt's arm.

"Oh hell yes, Blaine! I've never felt that good in my life."

Blaine was thrilled, his hands roaming over Kurt's shoulders now, "Good. 'Cause we're gonna do that again. A lot. You are so sexy and I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep my hands off you."

"Well, you're going to need to figure it out because I think my family and friends will revolt if they don't get some attention from me on occasion." Kurt giggled.

"Well, my main concern is, how are we going to find a place and time to do this again. Our parents being gone for any length of time is fairly rare. We'll figure it out, though. Love conquers all and all that stuff."

"Hey Blaine?"

"Yes, babe?"

"Is it always this messy?"

Blaine cracked up. "Yeah, that's one unfortunate thing about being a guy. Things can get sticky."

And speaking of sticky…

"Blaine honey, we're home!"


	11. Chapter 11

Blaine froze. “Oh holy hell, my parents are back! They said they wouldn’t be here ‘til late morning tomorrow!”

“Oh my God, what do we do?”

Blaine glanced around, gesturing frantically, “Shhh, your voice gets shrill when you’re panicked. Be quiet. Get into the bathroom. I’m the only one who uses that one. But get in the bathtub and close the curtain just in case.”

Kurt ran for the restroom and made it in there just in time. Blaine’s mother knocked on the door and then opened it without waiting for permission just as Blaine whipped his blanket over his lap to cover himself up.

“Hi honey, we’re back a little early. Your father wasn’t feeling well and he just wanted to come home and sleep in his own bed. Whose Navigator is out there in the driveway?”

 _Shit, I forgot about that_ , cursed Blaine to himself. “Um, my friend Kurt was over here for awhile. He was helping me rehearse for my audition at Six Flags and he couldn’t get his car to start. His stepbrother came and picked him up about an hour ago.” _Dammit, I hope we can weasel our way out of this one._

“Oh, does he need any help getting it somewhere to be fixed tomorrow?”

“No, his dad owns a garage. I’m sure he’ll be able to help Kurt out.”

“Sounds good, Darling. Your father and I are going to head off to bed. If you do any more rehearsing tonight, please sing quietly, or go downstairs. He’s got a migraine and as beautiful as your voice is, he doesn’t need to be kept awake.”

“Okay Mom. I love you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” said Mrs. Anderson as she pulled the door shut behind her.

“Phew,” sighed Blaine as he collapsed into his desk chair. “C’mon out Kurt, it’s safe.”

“Oh. My. God! That was close. What am I going to do, though, Blaine? I have to get home.”

“You could just call your dad and say your battery died and that my dad will give you a jump in the morning before he goes to work.”

Kurt was nervous and fussing, “I should really try to find a way to get home, though. I’ve got stuff to do.”

“It’s summer vacation, Kurt. What do you have to do that can’t be put off a little later?”

Kurt stopped to think about it for awhile. He was trying to make excuses to leave because he needed some time alone to think about what all had just happened here tonight. He was ready for it to happen, sure, but sometimes things just needed awhile to sink in.

“Nothing, I guess. I’ll go ahead and call Dad and see if he buys it. I’ve never been able to lie to him.”

“Just keep it short and to the point. It’s when you get wordy that they can sense you’re lying.”

Kurt pulled out his cell phone and dialed his dad’s number.

“Hey Dad, it’s just me. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be home tonight.”

“What’s wrong, Kurt? Did something happen?”

“No, the battery in the Navigator died in Blaine’s driveway. I must have left the dome light on or something. Blaine’s dad will give me a jump start in the morning.”

“He can’t give you one now?”

“No, he’s in bed. He went to bed with a migraine.” Kurt was glad he could at least tell the truth about that.

“Well, I could come over there and help you out.”

“No Dad, it’s okay, really. Blaine’s parents are here and they don’t mind at all that I stay for the night.”

“Well, okay. And Kurt? I’m sure the Andersons don’t intend for you to sleep in their son’s bed. Please stay wherever they put you, okay?”

“I will Dad, talk to you in the morning. Love you.”

“Love you too, Kurt.”

Kurt flipped his phone shut. “Well, that was nerve-wracking. How did I do?”

“It sounded pretty good, sweetie! Just don’t ever lie to me like that, okay?” Blaine assured.

“Believe me, I felt like hell just lying like that. And kids are _supposed_ to lie to their parents. It’d probably kill me to lie to you.” Kurt sighed. “I think I’m going to need to call Finn. I can’t just appear out of nowhere to pick up my car in the morning. What time do your parents usually get up? I’m going to need to sneak out of there before then, walk down the road to catch up with Finn, and then have him drop me off. How are we going to explain if anyone asks why the Navigator works fine?”

“We can either pretend to put the cables on and jump the car, or we can just claim the problem self-corrected overnight.”

Kurt was incredulous, “Really? Will they buy that?”

Blaine wasn’t worried, “My mom fully believes there’s some sort of gremlin living in our house because she’s constantly losing stuff she swears she’s never touched. She’ll buy anything we want to sell her.”

“Are we sure that Brittany’s not related to her somehow? That sounds like something she’d say. She does claim her cat reads her diary.”

Blaine chuckled. “You never know. It could happen.”

“Hey Blaine?”

“Yes?”

“If I’m going to be staying here overnight, I kinda need to clean up and change my clothes. Can I borrow something?”

“Oh! Of course! Sorry about that. In the excitement of getting rid of my mom, I kinda forgot that we are not in the comfiest of clothing at the moment. PJ pants in the second drawer, and you know where the bathroom is.” He grinned sheepishly.

“If you want to clean up first, I need to text Finn and let him know what the situation is.”

“Will he help you?”

“Yeah, he will. He’s never really stopped feeling guilty for causing our temporary breakup so he usually doesn’t say no to me.”

Blaine went into the bathroom to change, and Kurt picked up his phone to text Finn.

_I need your help. Pick me up at Blaine’s at 8am tomorrow. ~ Kurt_

**_Y r u @ Blaine’s? & y 8am? – Finn_ **

_Long story. B’s mom almost caught us, I hid, B made up story, now I need your help. - Kurt_

_Oh, and I will wait for you down the road, then you can drive me here. - Kurt_

_Don’t tell Dad. - Kurt_

**_U O me deets tmrw, man. C U @ 8. – Finn._ **

After sending Finn a quick thank you text, Kurt put down the phone and went to grab some PJ pants. Upon opening the drawer, he discovered that this was also Blaine’s underwear drawer.  Curiously, Kurt shuffled through the stack. They were all boxer briefs. Kurt nearly swooned just thinking about seeing Blaine in tight boxer briefs. Near the bottom of the pile of underwear, though, were some cute novelty briefs. He noticed the last pair in the pile and had to chuckle – they were navy blue with pink sunglasses on them. Blaine’s favorite sunglasses were a pair of oversized pink plastic sunglasses and he wore them EVERYWHERE. He even wore them with his suit on the way to the prom, though thankfully he left them in the car when they arrived. Making a quick decision, Kurt swiped the undies out of the drawer. _After all, they were on the bottom,_ he reasoned. _Blaine probably won’t even remember I had access to the drawer by the time he gets to the bottom of the pile_.

He hid the underwear in the folds of the pajama pants he was holding just as Blaine came out of the bathroom.

“Is everything all set with Finn?” Blaine asked.

“Yep, he’ll be here at 8. Well, he’ll be down the street at 8. I’m gonna have to sneak out so I can meet with him and look like I’m just arriving to get my car.”

“That should work. My mom will be home, but she typically doesn’t leave her room ‘til at least 8. We’ll just need to run you out the door real fast by 7:45 and it should work. My dad won’t be around. He leaves for work at 5:15.”

“He works on Saturdays?”

“These days he works all the time. I don’t always see him every day,” Blaine shrugged.

“Well, I’m going to change and get ready for bed. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

Blaine hoped it would be more than a few minutes. He hadn’t known earlier that day that he’d have his boyfriend in between the sheets of his own bed that night, and he couldn’t remember if he had changed the sheets after the last erotic dream he had had about Kurt. He ran his hands over the sheet and didn’t feel any iffy spots, so he would just take his chances and hope for the best.

Kurt finished in the bathroom and crawled into bed to join him. Like a magnet, as soon as he got under the covers, Blaine scooted up close to him and cuddled him tight. He turned off the light. It was dark, but not pitch black, as the moon was shining in the window and Blaine’s Harry Potter nightlight was in the nearest corner. Blaine’s obsession with Harry Potter amused Kurt – you’d’ve thought that Blaine actually WAS Harry Potter or something.

Something had been bothering Kurt since Blaine had had the brief conversation with his mother.

“Blaine?”

“Yes Kurt?”

“When you were talking to your mom earlier, how come I was your ‘friend’ Kurt and not your ‘boyfriend’ Kurt?”

Blaine stiffened, and not in the sexy exciting way. “Um, well, she and Dad don’t exactly know about you.”

Kurt was immediately hurt. “Why not? Are you ashamed of me?”

Blaine sat straight up in bed and whispered forcefully, “NO Kurt, how could I possibly be ashamed of a wonderful person like you? Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know Blaine, perhaps it’s because we’ve been together for several MONTHS and you haven’t said anything to your parents?”

“Well, there’s more they don’t know…”

“What else don’t they know that would be relevant to this conversation? Oh, wait a minute… Blaine, please don’t tell me… they don’t know you’re gay, do they?”

A tear slipped down his face. “No, they don’t. I don’t know how to tell them. I’ve tried so many times for the past few years and I just can’t figure out how to do it.”

“You need to tell them, Blaine. Regardless of how madly in love I am with you, I will not be a ‘dirty little secret.’ I don’t want to hide. I want to be able to walk right up to you and kiss you in front of them without them being shocked. I want them to know me and to know how wonderful we are together. And I want them to know that I will take care of their son just as my dad knows that you will take care of his. I will be there for you the whole way. If you want the moral support while you tell them, I can be there, or I can stay away if you think you need to do this on your own. But they need to know, Blaine.”

Blaine stared at the ceiling, “I know. I wish I knew the best way to approach it.”

“Most parents appreciate pure honestly.” Kurt tried to soften his bluntness by stroking Blaine’s chest.

“I just don’t know if they will. I don’t think they think very much of gays. They’re really conservative and every time there’s some sort of gay rights story on the news, I hear my dad grumbling something about how ‘too much time and money’ is spent on these issues. I can’t tell if he thinks it’s stupid that it’s even an issue, or if he has something against gays, or what.”

“You’re not going to know until you talk to them, Blaine. You need to try. Would you like me to be there?”

Blaine stiffened, “No, I can’t have you there! I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want you hearing anything my parents have to say that’s negative. They are somewhat prejudiced and I’m not sure they can control their mouths with you around.”

“My skin is tougher than you think, but I understand. Way back when I first met you, you told me one word. Courage. And I’ve been using it as my motto and my mantra ever since. It has served me well. Please take your own advice.”

“Thank you, Kurt. You seem to have a gift for always knowing the right thing to say.”

“I think it only works for you. With everyone else, I only seem to put my foot in my mouth.”

Both boys set their phone alarms for 7:15 to give Kurt ample time to sneak back outside and wait for Finn to pick him up. Blaine tried to snuggle back up to Kurt, but Kurt turned him around so that he was the little spoon. After that conversation and the one he was going to have with his parents very soon, Kurt figured that Blaine should be the one to be held this time, instead of the one doing the holding. Blaine turned his head back to share a very gentle loving kiss, and then they drifted off to sleep.

**xXxXxXx**

Blaine was startled awake at about 3am. He wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t until he remembered the warm body next to him that he figured out what must have woken him. He rested his head on Kurt and was just about to go back to sleep when he felt - what was that, a growl? – come from deep within Kurt’s chest.

“Oh God Blaine, that feels so good.”

“Kurt, honey, are you awake?” Blaine whispered.  He quickly assessed the situation. Deep breathing, eyes closed, no response to his voice. Yep, still asleep.

Blaine shifted and waited for a moment longer, then snuggled back into Kurt. Then Kurt squirmed and let out a long, low moan.

“Blaine, I need you to move your hand faster,” he begged.

 _HOLY SHIT,_ Blaine thought. _He’s having a sexy dream about me!_

“FUCK, Blaine, you’re going to make me come in my pants again,” Kurt groaned, just a little bit too loudly this time.

_And he’s a very dirty boy in his sleep, too. Me likey…_

Blaine was scared his parents would hear what was going on in his room and wake up, so he decided he needed to try to defuse this situation, both the one right here and then immediately afterwards, the one in his own pants. As freaked out as he was that they might attract his parents’ attention, he didn’t think he had ever been more turned on in his life.

He needed to do something that would distract him out of his dream but not wake him up. He decided to tickle Kurt’s ribs a little. Kurt giggled, and Blaine thought it was the cutest thing he had ever heard. He had thought hearing Kurt giggle when he was awake was adorable, but there was just something about sleep giggles. Blaine tickled him again and Kurt squirmed and shifted. He buried his head into his pillow and his body seemed to shift into a deeper stage of sleep.

Blaine hoped that was enough to take care of the sleep talking because he desperately needed to get to the bathroom and take care of other _pressing_ issues.

He rushed into the bathroom and locked the door. He immediately dropped his pants and took himself into his hand. He had, of course, masturbated before – he was a 17 year old guy for goodness sake - but he had never felt as if his life depended on it. It probably DID depend on it, because if he didn’t do something, he was going to attack his boyfriend in his sleep and be very loud about it, and then his parents would hear them and kill him.

He was so close to the edge that he didn’t have to go through his usual library of mental images of Kurt. All he needed to do was remember that sexy growl Kurt had let loose and Blaine was done for. The force of his orgasm just about brought him to his knees. If this is what happens when it’s just me, I can’t imagine how my entire body _isn’t_ going to self-combust when it’s his hand instead of mine, he thought.

Blaine cleaned himself up and brought his breathing back under control. Very quietly, he tiptoed back into his room and slipped underneath the covers. Kurt must have sensed he was there because he immediately wrapped his arms around Blaine and squeezed him tight. Blaine smiled.

“Love you, Kurt.”

“Love you too,” he mumbled back.


	12. Chapter 12

“Blaine! Blaine! Blainey poo, wake uuuuuuppppp!”

“Ugh, Blainey poo? REALLY, Kurt? Who the hell snuck you a caffeine IV this morning?”

“Oh don’t worry, I only said that to annoy you out of your slumber. Had to wake you up somehow.”

 _You could have woken me up this morning like you did in the middle of the night_ , Blaine was tempted to say.

“No, seriously. How can you possibly be this cheerful and energetic at,” he looked at the clock, “6:30?? I thought we said we’d set our alarms for 7:15!”

“Oh, we did, but I was awake, and I wanted to spend more time with you so I thought I’d wake you up. I feel SO good this morning. I slept so hard I don’t think I moved a muscle all night.”

Blaine choked back a laugh. _You slept hard all right, baby. Made me hard, too._

“You okay, love?” Kurt inquired. “You have a funny look on your face.”

“It’s nothing. Really.”

Kurt tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “You sure you want to stick with that story, Blaine Anderson? You forget I can read you like a book.”

Blaine sighed. He really wasn’t going to say anything, but he knew Kurt was definitely a persistent sort. Even if he managed to distract Kurt now, he knew that he’d just come back to it sooner or later.

“Well, don’t freak out, but… you had what must have been one hell of a dream last night.”

“Really? I don’t remember anything. What did I say?”

Blaine flushed a bit. Not from embarrassment this time, thank God, because there had been more than enough of THAT lately, but from pure lust.

“Blaine, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just don’t know if I can tell you this if you need to leave in a few minutes.”

“Is it that bad?”

“No Kurt, it’s that good. Um, first of all, you moaned to me that I was making you feel ‘so good.’ Then you begged me to move my hand faster.”

“Oh God,” whispered Kurt.

“And then you nearly yelled that I was…”

“Yes?” Kurt squeaked.

“…going to make you come in your pants again.”

“ _Oh holy hell,”_ breathed Kurt _._ “What happened next?”

“I tickled you so you’d break out of your dream without waking up all the way. I didn’t want you to lose any sleep, but I sure as heck didn’t want my dad hearing you, either. I just about had a heart attack – right after that last line I thought I heard him leaving his room and I was desperate to shut you up.”

Kurt was silent. He was silent for a really long time. Blaine began to worry. “Kurt, honey, please say something, you’re scaring me.”

“I’m just trying to work through my mortification here, Blaine. Please give me a few more moments.”

“Please don’t feel bad, Kurt, we all have –“

“Blaine, I said give me a minute,” Kurt snapped. Then he sighed. “I’m sorry, Blaine. That came out far harsher than I intended. I am not scared, or ashamed, or anything like that. I am just freaking out that I almost caused us to get caught. **Again**. Mere hours after almost getting caught the first time. We need to stop doing that.”

Blaine looked horrified. Kurt caught on right away, though, and was quick to say, “No, no, I mean we need to quit getting caught. We are not going to stop being with each other.”

“Well, it wasn’t really our fault that we got into this situation twice. I mean, no one could have known that Dad wouldn’t be feeling well and they’d come home, and I’m sure you didn’t know that an erotic dream would make you so loud… “

“Well, I’ve dreamed about you before and I didn’t wake anyone, so I can only guess it was because we were in the same bed that my dream was so much more intense.” Kurt mused.

Blaine huffed, “So you’re saying we shouldn’t ever sleep in a bed together? I’m not liking THAT idea at all.”

“Come on, Blaine. Quit jumping to conclusions and putting words in my mouth. What I would have gotten around saying if I had been allowed to is that we’re really going to need to start planning things better. I know we’re teenagers and we like spontaneity and all that, but if we want to physically be together, we’re going to need to earn it.”

“Well, I still say that tonight was just a comedy of errors that couldn’t be avoided, and I’m not unhappy about it in the slightest ‘cause it allowed me to wake up next to you, but I’ll agree with you that we should plan things out. And I am hoping that you might agree that we should plan something out SOON because I don’t know how long I’ll be able to last in between these nights together.”

Kurt chewed on his lip. “Got any good cover stories to share?”

“Not yet, but we’ll think of something. We’re both smart, plus we’ve both got a devious streak, so I’m sure we can come up with something really good. In the meantime, you should probably get ready to bail. It’s almost 7:45. I’m going to quick peek out the door and see if anyone’s around. If all’s good, I want you to come out of here quietly and quickly and we’ll get you out the door.”

“Okay, but I can’t leave without doing this.” Kurt grabbed Blaine’s waist and pulled him roughly to him. Kurt then licked his lips and leaned in for a kiss.  Their lips and tongues fought each other for control as they moved frantically against each other. Kurt’s hands began to wander, but Blaine was quick to grab them and still them.

“Believe me Kurt, I want your hands everywhere on me, but if we’re going to get your ass safely out of here, you need to meet Finn. NOW! You can even stick around for a bit after you and Finn pretend to get your car going again, but I need you to put on the act for me,” he begged.

Kurt quickly redressed in yesterday’s pants and was thankful that Blaine had suggested they ditch them for yesterday’s...activities. He would have had to borrow pants from Blaine otherwise, and since Kurt was a little taller and a little thinner than Blaine, they would have looked funny and would have surely tipped off Blaine’s mother.

Blaine stuck his head out the door and noted the silence. He tiptoed down the hall and put his ear against the door of his parents’ room. Never was he so happy that his mother snored – he could hear it all the way out in the hallway and knew they were safe for a little while.

“Coast is clear. Be fast but QUIET. I will see you later, sweetie – I am going to stay up here just on the off chance I need to run some sort of interference.”

“Okay, love you!”

“Love you too!”

With that, Kurt stealthily made his way down the hall, past Blaine’s parents’ room, and down the stairs. He very gently twisted the doorknob, slid through the door, and shut it just as silently. He jogged down the street to the agreed meeting spot and leant up against a tree to catch his breath. PHEW. That was too much work for nearly 8 o’clock on a Saturday morning.

As agreed, Finn pulled up right at 8. There were some things he was not, but he was always very punctual, and Kurt liked that he could count on him for that.

“Okay, Kurt, I’m here. Start talking!”

Kurt began to regale Finn with his tale of Blaine’s and his adventures from last night. He ended with a profuse thank you to his stepbrother, who he was really glad to have around. Finn wasn’t really that bad. It would have been a lot worse if had he ended up with, say, Puck as a stepbrother or something. Puck would never have been able to let this one go.

Kurt and Finn arrived in Blaine’s driveway and began the charade of jumping the Navigator. Unsurprisingly, it fired up right away. Blaine and his mother stepped outside to greet the boys. Kurt could tell he had slipped out the door just in time by the relieved look on Blaine’s face.

“Good morning, Mrs. Anderson. I’m Blaine’s friend Kurt. And this is my brother Finn. I’m so sorry I had to abandon ship in your driveway last night.”

“Hello boys. It’s no problem about your car. Sounds like it started up okay, then?” she observed.

“Yes ma’am, we’re good. I’ll have my dad take a peek at it when I get it home to be sure, but I think we’ll be able to get it out of here safely.” Kurt was trying to be extra polite to make a good impression and hopefully pave the way for Blaine.

“Good. Now, I’ve got to run back in and get breakfast started. Would you two like to stay?” Mrs. Anderson offered.

Kurt noticed something a little off in her expression and immediately opted to decline her offer. “No thanks, Mrs. Anderson. I’m sure Carole is expecting us to return home for breakfast – we just wanted to get going on my car as early as possible.  Thanks again for your kind offer. See you later!”

“Bye boys,” said Mrs. Anderson as she turned quickly and hurried back into the house.

“Wow! That was close. She was up like about two minutes after I heard you close the door...” Blaine sighed in relief.

Kurt’s brow furrowed, “Blaine, you’ve got to tell them. She suspects.”

“She suspects what?”

“I saw a look in her eyes as she looked at me. She was judging me, Blaine. I don’t hide my sexuality, not that it would do any good, because it’s pretty obvious that I’m gay. And it’s entirely possible that even through that short exchange, she could sense something about the two of us – we don’t hide our love for each other, either. I don’t think we can,” he worried.

“Whoa, Blaine, your folks don’t know?” wondered Finn.

“No, they don’t.” Blaine replied, “Kurt, how am I going to do this? I have no idea what they’re going to say or do.”

“I’m going to be really blunt here, Blaine. I’m not sure it will go well.  I saw the expression on her face. I don’t have a good feeling about this. And from what you’ve told me, I don’t think your father will take it any better.” Kurt tried to downplay his concerns so as not to scare Blaine out of telling his parents, but he was really worried. It’s amazing how much information one can get out of just a look, but the look on Mrs. Anderson’s face was not one of acceptance.

Blaine’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Well, that’s it, then. I’m screwed. I can’t say anything.”

“Blaine, it needs to be done. As I said earlier, I love you and I would do anything for you, EXCEPT be your dirty little secret. I locked the closet door behind me awhile ago – I am not going back in. Please don’t make me hide,” Kurt pleaded.

“Okay, I guess I’ll tell her now. Telling her will be easier than telling my father later.”

“I would still be happy to be here with you, if you want me to be.”

“Me too,” chimed in Finn. “You’re one of us, and we all look out for each other. Just let me know if I can help.”

“Thanks guys, but I’ve got to handle it myself. I’m a big boy now.”

“Okay, sweetie,” soothed Kurt. “Please let me know how things go. We need to get moving. Please call me when you’re done, okay? I will need to know that you’re okay.”

“I will, I promise. I’d give you a hug and kiss but I don’t know if Mom is watching, so I’ll just say I will talk to you guys later.”

“Good luck, Blaine,” said Finn. “I hope you won’t need it.”

Kurt nodded in response to Finn’s comment and made the I love you sign with his hand, just in case Mrs. Anderson was close by. Blaine smiled and then went back into the house.

Kurt sighed and then headed to his car.

“Kurt? Is Blaine going to be all right?”

“God, I hope so, Finn, but I don’t think so. Did you get that feeling, too? I know you’ve gotten better at reading people lately.”

“I don’t know what to think, but I definitely wasn’t getting warm and fuzzy.”

Kurt sighed. “Neither was I. But I guess we’ll just have to wait. We better get back, Carole will be looking for us.”

“See you back at home.”

The boys started up their respective vehicles and headed towards their home. Kurt was an atheist but still took a moment to send a little prayer up for Blaine as he drove.


	13. Chapter 13

“Finn, I’m getting really worried,” Kurt confided later that evening. “I’ve never gone this long without hearing from him, and he promised he’d call me as soon as he talked with his mother.”

“I’m sure he’s okay, Kurt. I bet he just forgot. I do that all the time.”

“Blaine doesn’t forget, Finn. He just doesn’t. I’ve been calling him on and off all day and I haven’t gotten any answers.”

“Maybe it was just a really long talk,” Finn suggested.

Kurt just shrugged.  “Maybe. I’m going to try him again.”

Kurt dialed Blaine’s number again. The phone rang once, and then he heard three tones. A voice on the end of the line announced that the number he had dialed was no longer in service. Carefully, he redialed the number and got the same message.

“Um, Kurt? Are you okay? All of a sudden you turned really white. And that’s bad because you’re so pale it’s hard to tell when your skin changes color.”

“Blaine’s number has been disconnected,” he said flatly.

“Oh wow, that can’t be good. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going over there. Don’t tell my dad.”

“Kurt, don’t… you should probably let Blaine handle this.”

“I have a REALLY bad feeling about this, Finn. I think Blaine’s in some sort of trouble. I have to go see if I can help him.”

“Okay, but I’m going with you.”

“NO. You can’t come with. I need you here to run interference with my dad in case he and Carole get home early.”

“Fine. But I’m calling Puck. You need someone to go with you.”

Kurt hesitated. “Okay. But please, get him over here now, because I want to go over there before it gets any later.”

**xXxXxXx**

Puck whistled. “Nice place. These people have bucks.”

“They have some, yes. They’re not rich, but they’re not hurting, either. Wait in the car for me, but watch carefully. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell if I need help.”

“Can do.”

Kurt gathered up all his courage and strode to the front porch. He firmly rapped on the door, and it was opened by Mrs. Anderson. She took one look at him and whispered, “You need to go. Now. Please.”

“Mrs. Anderson, where’s Blaine? I tried calling but his phone has been discon – “

“What the hell are you doing here?” Mr. Anderson roared. “Are you the little fag that turned my son gay?”

“I didn’t turn your son gay, Mr. Anderson. He alrea – “

“You see here you little fudge packer. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE. Blaine is GONE. He LEFT. He decided he didn’t want to see you anymore because he’s ashamed of you and of himself and he ran away. Now get the hell out of here before you fuck up anyone else’s life.” Mr. Anderson slammed the door so hard one of the window panes in it cracked.

Kurt ran back to his car in tears. Puck was in the passenger seat, but he got out and boomed, “What did that asshole do to you?”

“Just get in and drive, Puck. Get me home.”

**xXxXxXx**

Once they arrived back home, Puck half walked, half dragged Kurt back inside. Finn met them at the door.

“What the hell, man?”

“Dude, I don’t know. Kurt won’t tell me anything. It’s like he’s in shock. All I know is that this dude screamed at him, slammed the door in his face so hard he just about broke his house doing it, and then Kurt came back to the car like a bat outta hell and told me to drive. So I did.” Puck explained helping Kurt inside.

Finn patted Puck on the shoulder, steering him back towards the door, “Thanks for helping me out. I’ll take care of him from here.”

“No prob. When you get a chance, let me know what the fuck just happened here, ‘cause I’ll be damned if I know,” Puck said as he jogged down the front steps.

Finn shut the door behind him and locked it. He turned to see Kurt, leaning against the wall where he had been since he had returned home.

Finn said, “Hang on, Kurt, I’ve gotta do something upstairs real quick. I will be right back, and then we can talk, okay?”

Kurt didn’t say a word, so Finn took it as his cue to run upstairs and end his Skype conversation with Rachel.

Downstairs, Kurt felt himself slipping down the wall, and then he heard a deafening screeching noise in his head. What was that noise? How could he get it to stop?

Finn ran down the stairs, skipping several in his hurry to get to the bottom. “Shhh shhhh Kurt, it’s okay, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Calm down Kurt, please!”

_Oh, I guess that screaming is me. Deep breaths, Kurt, deep breaths. Blaine, I don’t know what happened, but I don’t believe a word your father said. You wouldn’t just leave me like that… right?_

Finn scooped up Kurt bridal style and brought him to his room. “Kurt, I don’t know what’s wrong, but, I could stay with you for a little bit? Would that be okay?”

Kurt nodded just the slightest little bit and let Finn set him on his bed. Finn scooted up against the headboard and put a pillow in his lap. He grabbed Kurt and situated his head on the pillow. He pulled a few tissues out of the box on the side table and began wiping the tears from Kurt’s face. Giving up on trying to stem the tide, he settled for just running his fingers through Kurt’s hair. His hair was surprisingly soft and silky. _So that’s what all those beauty products are for,_ thought Finn. Kurt had fallen asleep by then, but Finn kept massaging Kurt’s scalp and touching his hair more for his benefit than Kurt’s as he found it to be rather soothing for himself as well.

Burt and Carole arrived home and looked in on the boys. Carole gasped, but Finn was quick to shush her. “He just fell asleep.”

“What’s going on?” Burt asked quietly.

“Something’s wrong with Blaine,” Finn whispered back. “I don’t know the story. He just came home and broke down. He hasn’t said a word all evening.”

“Should we wake him up and see what’s wrong?” Carole wondered.

“No, if it’s about Blaine and it’s bad, I think he’s going to need the sleep to deal with it,” decided Burt. “Do you think Blaine broke up with him?”

“No, I really don’t. Blaine’s as attached to Kurt as Kurt is to him. I guess we’ll see when he wakes up.” Thinking for a moment, Finn asked, “Could you bring me my cell phone, Burt? I think I’m going to need reinforcements come morning.”

“You bet.”

Burt dropped off the phone and he and Carole went to bed. Finn opened up a new text message and addressed it to Rachel and Mercedes. For once he skipped the text speak in favor of more information.

**_Dire emergency. Call me as soon as you’re up. Something VERY wrong. Kurt devastated. Need assistance. – Finn._ **

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt woke up to find himself fully dressed in his bed. Finn had slipped out at some point during the night when Kurt shifted in his sleep and went to his own bed. The events of the previous night came flooding back to him and he could hardly breathe.

Heading downstairs in a dazed state, he passed Burt, Carole, and Finn without even noticing them. He needed a glass of water, badly. His throat was sore. _I remember screaming last night, that’s probably why._

“Kurt, honey, we need you to tell us what happened last night,” Carole said, her voice laden with concern.

He turned to her and she gathered him up in a big, motherly hug. With his face buried in her shoulder, he said, “Blaine’s gone.”

“What, honey? We didn’t hear you.”

He lifted his head slightly and tried again. “Blaine’s gone.”

“Oh no, what happened? Where did he go?”

“Blaine came out to his parents yesterday. I tried and tried to call him yesterday but he never answered. Then when I got the disconnect message on his phone, I went over there.” Kurt explained, “Don’t worry, I took Puck with me, so I wasn’t alone. Blaine’s father told me that Blaine ran away. He said it was because he was ashamed of me and of himself and didn’t want to see me anymore. I don’t believe that he truly said that. I think his father just told me that to try and break me, but I don’t believe it. But I’m really scared for Blaine. What if his father hurt him?”

Burt tried to reassure his son, “Don’t think like that, Kurt. I know it’s hard not to, but you’re going to drive yourself crazy if you let your mind go there. Now, where do you think he would have gone?”

“Quite honestly, I think he’s either not gone, or he’s gone but didn’t have a say in the matter. If he needed to run somewhere, he would have come to me, or he would have gone somewhere that he could call me. Blaine’s done some stupid stuff in the past, but he’s learned and doesn’t screw around when it comes to us anymore. If I haven’t heard from him, I think it means he can’t contact me.”

“Do you think Mr. Anderson would physically hurt Blaine?” Burt was genuinely concerned now.

“I don’t know, but from the way he screamed at me yesterday, he’s probably capable of it.” Kurt sat with his head in his hands, overwhelmed with the fear running through his veins. “I have a terrible, TERRIBLE feeling in the pit of my stomach, Dad. Do you think we can report him missing to the police?”

“He’s seventeen - I think they’ll take a missing persons report on him right away since he’s still a minor. Even if not, it’s been 24 hours since you last talked with him, right?”

“Yeah, I left his house about 8:30 yesterday morning. It’s 8:15 now – by the time we get to Westerville, it’ll be well past 8:30. We should be covered.” Kurt jumped up from his seat on the couch. “Let’s go.”

Burt, Finn, and Kurt loaded themselves into the car and headed off to the Westerville Police station. Carole was elected to stay home in case Blaine showed up somehow.

**xXxXxXx**

“What do you MEAN you can’t do anything?” Burt demanded.

The WPD officer shrugged his shoulders. “I just talked to John Anderson. I know the family. I know Blaine’s a good boy and is likely just fine. He thinks Blaine just went to a friend’s house and forgot to say anything.”

“That’s not what Mr. Anderson told me. He told me Blaine ran away and as his best friend I know he would NEVER do that.” Kurt had decided it was best to keep Blaine’s sexuality and their relationship status out of things for now, as he didn’t see it necessary to out Blaine to everyone without his knowledge.

“Maybe Mr. Anderson just didn’t like YOU and wanted you to go away. I’m starting to see how that might not be a stretch of the imagination,” the officer said rudely.

“Hey, that wasn’t fair, Officer. My son hasn’t done anything to you.”

“Whatever the case, I don’t see any need to open up a file. I’m sure John Anderson is perfectly capable of opening up a file on his own son should he see the need, and he doesn’t. Good day, gentlemen,” he dismissed.

Burt, Kurt, and Finn silently returned to their vehicle and got in.

“Well, that officer was full of shit,” Burt declared.

“What are we going to do now, Dad?”

“I don’t know, son. I don’t know if there’s much we CAN do if the police won’t help and if Mr. Anderson won’t allow you on their property. I think you’ll just have to wait ‘til Blaine contacts you.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” Kurt asked fearfully.

“He will, Kurt. You have your gut feelings, I have mine. I don’t know when, but I know that he will, because Blaine can’t stay away from you very long. Two halves of the same whole tend to draw each other in. You’ll draw him in eventually.”

“Thanks Dad. I hope you’re right.”

**xXxXxXx**

One week passed.

Then two.

Then three.

Finn invited Rachel and Mercedes over that third weekend after Blaine’s absence. “You guys have got to help me,” he begged. “I’ve been trying to keep Kurt occupied to keep his mind off Blaine as much as possible, but I’ve run out of ideas and nothing I do is helping. He’s just getting worse. Add to that the fact that he doesn’t want to do anything he and Blaine have done together, and there is virtually nothing we CAN do with him.”

Rachel thought for a moment. “Well, there are very few options, yes, but even though they’ve been dating for months, Kurt’s never managed to drag Blaine out shopping.”

“Shopping. Yes! Sounds great! Have fun!” said Finn as he left the task to the girls. Finn himself couldn’t blame Blaine for not going shopping with Kurt – Kurt’s definition of shopping was Finn’s definition of exhausting, and he just didn’t have the energy for it. Trying and failing to keep Kurt from withdrawing into himself truly wiped him out.

Rachel and Mercedes tried to drag Kurt to the mall whenever possible. Burt threw them money left and right hoping that the lure of a fabulous new expensive jacket or something would tempt him, but the money was still almost completely untouched. About all Kurt would use it for would be to grab a diet coke at the food court. The girls could never coax him into eating anything, either, and the already thin boy was beginning to lose weight that he just couldn’t afford to spare.

Several more weeks passed and they were approaching the start of the sixth week since Blaine’s disappearance. The Hummels had tried speaking with the police again and were blown off again as well. Burt suspected that that cop was hiding something, but there wasn’t much he could do without proof. So they continued to wait. And Kurt continued to get worse.

Finally, Burt couldn’t take it anymore. He was starting to see bones when he looked at Kurt, and that just wasn’t okay with him anymore.

“Kurt, you need help. You can’t keep living like this. I insist that you talk to somebody. And you need to eat. Anything. I know you don’t like eating junk food, but please, go do the McDonald’s drive thru a couple of times or something. Anything. Anything’s better than you wasting away.”

“I’ll live. Shut up and leave me alone.” Kurt grumbled.

“No Kurt. You need to snap out of this now.”

“I’ll be FINE. Ugh! Why are you bothering me like this? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“BECAUSE I’M TERRIFIED, Kurt! That’s why! The Kurt I know and love is disappearing in front of my eyes, and I’m scared. Remember how you felt when you thought you were losing me? And that same feeling when we lost your mom? I’m living **that** nightmare again right now. I watched your mother die, and there was nothing I could do about it. But you, Kurt, I’ve still got time with you and I will be DAMNED if I watch you die on me, too! What would Blaine say to you right now if he could see you. I bet he wouldn’t say anything. I bet he’d just kick your ass and tell you to snap out of it.”

Kurt finally broke, “Don’t you dare use Blaine against me, Dad! I’m heartbroken! I’m devastated! I miss him so much! It’s like I can’t fucking BREATHE without him here! I’m trying so hard to make it ‘til he finds his way back to me, but it’s just so, so HARD! Every time I’ve tried to eat something I just throw it up, so I haven’t even bothered anymore. I know I look bad, but I doubt Blaine looks any better. I just can’t...”

Burt gathered his son up in his arms and tried to soothe the boy. “I know, Kurt. I know. What can I do to help you?”

“Just love me, Dad.”

“Always have, son. There’s never been a shortage of love for my son, and there will never be a shortage of love for my future son-in-law, either.”

Kurt’s ears perked up at that statement. “You really think so, Dad? You think he and I will get married  some day?”

“I know so. I’ve heard people throw around the term soulmate over the years, but I’ve never seen it. ‘Til I saw you and Blaine. You may have started out a little rough, but you two made it. And you’re going to make it again. I feel in my heart that all is going to work out okay. Which is why I wish you’d take care of yourself. If there’s nothing left of you to come back to, why did Blaine even bother fighting for what you two have together?”

Kurt sighed. “You’re right, Dad. I promise I’ll try. I can’t guarantee much. Right now my stomach is a mess. I throw up more than a pregnant woman with severe all-day sickness.”

“That’s all I ask. Come on, Kurt. Let’s see if we can’t find anything to calm your stomach down enough to eat.”


	14. Chapter 14

Six and a half weeks since Kurt had last heard from Blaine, Finn decided to have the Glee club over for pizza and Rock Band.

“C’mon Kurt, it’s the BEATLES. This is supposed to be fun. Here, come sing this one,” Finn urged and shoved a microphone into Kurt’s hand. The song he cued up began to play and Kurt froze.

“Holy shit Finn, how fucking stupid are you?” Mercedes yelled. “Turn that off! NOW!”

“What’s wrong with Blackbird? It’s a good song.” Finn asked.

“If you had paid any attention to Kurt a few months ago, you would have known that he sang Blackbird in tribute to his dead canary AND it was the song that made Blaine realize he wanted to be with Kurt.”

“Oh holy crap, I’m so sorry, Kurt, I didn’t know! I swear!”

Kurt was sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chin and his arms wrapped around his legs. He was rocking and repeating to himself, “I can’t do this anymore. I just CAN’T do this anymore.” Lauren pulled Kurt into her lap, and Mercedes and Rachel say on either side of them. The rest of the girls congregated nearby. The guys were at a loss for words, but they all knew this was bad.

\--*knock knock*--

Finn moved to answer the door, but the person on the other side opened the door without waiting for permission.

“Hey, who forgot to invite me to the party?” a voice called from the doorway. Kurt’s head whipped around and his jaw dropped as he stared in disbelief.

“BLAINE!!!” Kurt yelled as he ran to the door. He flung himself at Blaine, and although he made a valiant attempt at catching Kurt, the momentum was just too great and the boys collapsed to the floor in a heap. “You’re here! You’re really here! I’m not imagining things! Oh God I missed you so much,” Kurt panted out as he was kissing Blaine passionately. The kiss was quickly becoming something highly inappropriate for a dozen plus other people to view.

“What’s all the ruckus about?” Burt asked as he entered the room. Finn could do nothing but point as he watched the boys... celebrate their reunion. “Oh, I should have figured. Only one thing could cause that much of a commotion these days.” He watched, shaking his head as the others crept from the room.

Burt placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly, the boys on the floor looked up momentarily stunned. “Oh, hi Dad,” Kurt offered sheepishly. “Um, Blaine’s back!”

Burt smiled. “Yes, I see that. And as much as I’m thrilled my other son has made his triumphant return from the gates of Hell, I do believe such greetings should probably be toned down and carried out elsewhere.”

“ _Other son?”_ whispered Blaine into Kurt’s ear.

“ _Yes, he’s claimed you as his own,”_ Kurt informed him.

“Okay, Dad. Wait? Where did everyone else go?”

“You guys were too busy ‘saying hello’ to notice the mass exodus. I think even Finn left to spend the night at Puckerman’s or something.”

“Oh good grief,” said Kurt. “Just another thing to add to the massive list they have of things to harass us about.”

“I don’t care if you don’t, baby,” said Blaine sweetly.

“Hell no, I don’t. You’re here, and I could give a rip what they say.”

“Well, Blaine,” said Burt as he made himself comfortable on the sofa. “It’s been absolute hell around here for the last six weeks. I believe we’re entitled to some sort of explanation as to where you’ve been this whole time.”

“And you’ll get it, but could I have some water while I talk?”

“Absolutely,“ said Carole as she went to get drinks for everyone. Normally Kurt would have taken care of it, but Kurt had pretty much attached himself to Blaine the second he walked in the door, so it was easier for Carole to do it.

Carole handed a bottle of water to both Blaine and Kurt and brought cups of coffee for both herself and Burt. She settled down next to Burt, and Kurt and Blaine had already arranged themselves in the recliner in the corner.

“Well, as soon as you left that morning, Kurt, I went into the house and talked to my mother as I promised I would.”

**xXxXxXx**

_“Hey Mom.”_

_“Blaine,” Mrs. Anderson said curtly._

_“What’d you think of Kurt? He’s probably the nicest guy I know.”_

_“He’s also queer as a three dollar bill.”_

_Blaine was taken aback at her bluntness. “Well, yes, he is gay. Is that a problem?”_

_“Yes, it’s a problem. Gay people are sinners, Blaine. What they do is completely unnatural, immoral, and against the word of God.” She hissed._

_Blaine was shocked, “He didn’t CHOOSE to be gay, Mother. He would never CHOOSE to be mocked every day of his life.”_

_“Why would God make him gay if He didn’t want His followers to be gay? It says right in the Bible_ _‘_ _If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.’”_

_“The Bible was translated by man. Who knows if it’s even correct? Kurt has been bullied and has had death threats made against him because of his sexuality. Why would he choose that? The only thing he has chosen is to accept himself and be the person he is and wants to be. He doesn’t deserve any of the grief he has been given.” Blaine was livid at this point. How DARE his mother question Kurt? Or himself, for that matter?_

_“What’s this really about, Blaine? Why are you so quick to defend him?”_

_“Because I’m gay too, Mother,” he spat. “And Kurt is my boyfriend. And I’m totally in love with him.”_

_“No. No, you’re not. You can’t be. You chose to be gay, you can choose right back not to be gay. I forbid you to see this boy.” She shook her head, refusing to believe it._

_“You can’t do that, Mother. I didn’t choose to be gay any more than you chose to be a woman at birth.”_

_“I don’t care, Blaine. You are going to end this right now. We’ll bring you to a counselor. We’ll bring you to a church.”_

_“It’s not going to work, Mother. You can’t turn me straight. I’m not all of a sudden going to want to sleep with girls. I’m not wired that way. I don’t want to be straight. I want to be with Kurt.”_

_“I’m tired of arguing with you, Blaine. Go to your room. No, wait. Go to the guest room. And leave your cell phone with me. I don’t want you to contact any of your bad influences. Kurt’s family may be willing to dance with the devil and accept his ‘choice’ but that sure as hell doesn’t mean we’re going to take it lying down.” Mrs. Anderson said the word choice with a sneer, mocking Blaine’s earlier emphasis on the word. “You will stay up there until your father gets home, and then we will see what he has to say about this.”_

_“I’m seventeen years old, Mother. You can’t do this to me.”_

_“You did this to yourself. You made your choice. And now you’re going to pay for your choice.”_

_“I told you it wasn’t a fucking choice! Do you really think I would have chosen to be hated by my own mother for being born this way?”_

_“Get upstairs, Blaine. I am done with you. Your father will be home soon.”_

_Blaine turned and stomped furiously up the stairs, desperately holding back the tears that threatened to fall. He refused to allow his parents the satisfaction. To them, his tears would imply that he was feeling guilty and would be willing to try to change. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. He would fight against their hatred and ignorance, and he wouldn’t let them get to him. At this point, he was fighting as much for Kurt as he was for himself and he was NOT going to let Kurt down._

**xXxXxXx**

“I was upstairs for a couple of house before my father got home. I wanted to contact you, Kurt, but my mom had my phone and the guest room floor creaks – she would have known if I tried to sneak out to go to my room and get on the computer.”

“It’s okay, Blaine, really.”

“After about fifteen minutes, I was finally able to calm myself down. I was so upset. Finally, I laid down to take a nap. Sometimes it’s just easier to deal with things if you don’t have to think about them.”

**xXxXxXx**

_Not long after he finally drifted off to sleep, Blaine was startled away by a furious pounding on the door._

_“BLAINE! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!” his father screamed._

_Taking another deep breath and steeling himself to greet his father, he unlocked the door and pulled it open._

_What he was not prepared for was the forceful slap he received as soon as he cleared the door._

_“So you wanna be a fucking FAG, do ya? You like bending over and taking up the ass, boy? Do you?”_

_“I didn’t choose to be gay, Father, quit trying to make it seem as if I had any sort of say in my sexuality.”_

_Blaine’s head snapped to the side again under the force of another blow to his face. “FUCK. Stop that! You can’t_ _punch the gay out of me anymore than I can punch the_ _ignoramus_ _out of you.”_

_“Don’t you talk back to me, boy. I brought you in this world, I can take you right back out.”_

_“Leave me alone. I didn’t do anything to you.”_

_“Like hell you didn’t. You have brought shame upon this family. We are not going to be able to set foot inside our church or the club ever again, and our friends will shun us. All because you decided you’d rather suck dick than think about your family and reputation. Well, I’ll tell you one thing right now, that shit isn’t going to fly with me._

_“Here’s how it’s going to work from now on, butt boy. You are leaving my house. Your kind is not welcome here. Since you’re still a minor I can’t just kick you out, so you are going to go live with crazy Aunt Marie. She doesn’t like gay people. At all. If there’s anyone who can scare you straight, it’s her. You will take with you your clothes and that’s it. All your other belongings are mine. You will be having counseling sessions with the pastor from our church to see if he can talk you out of this bullshit. He’ll be going there to see you so no one will see your pansy-ass at our church and figure out that there’s something wrong with you. If you’re still flying your freak flag when you turn eighteen, your ass is out. I don’t care if you have to live in a refrigerator carton down some back alley. You will no longer be my responsibility. I will no longer have a son.”_

_Blaine was silent. His father was off the deep end and he didn’t want to make it any worse. His face was already burning from the double slap he had received._

_“What’s the matter boy, don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”_

_“Why should I? It’s not like anything is going to change your mind.”_

_“Only you changing your mind will make me change mine. Until then, get your shit together and get ready to go.”_

**xXxXxXx**

“I tried sneaking out of the house while my father thought I was packing, but he caught me pretty much right away. He shoved me down to the floor and I knocked myself out hitting me head on something.”

“My God, Blaine,” Kurt cried. “Are you okay? Did it do any permanent damage?”

“No sweetie, I’m fine. I didn’t even get a concussion. It just knocked me out long enough for me to wake up in a strange new place. I had never been to my Aunt Marie’s house, and now that I have been, I can safely say if I never see that woman again, it will be too soon. She earns the crazy moniker – that woman is certifiably insane. Anyway, I tried taking a few things aside from just my clothes. I had tried to hide a few pictures of you and us in what I thought were hidden pockets in the bag I took, but I guess he knew where to look because they were gone when I unpacked.”

“I’m sorry you weren’t able to sneak those in with you, but I will replace them for you. I’ve got copies of everything on my computer.”

“Thanks babe. I need pretty much everything replaced since what I own now fits in a small duffel bag, so any pictures you have for me, I want.” Blaine replied.

 “What my father DIDN’T find, thankfully, was a stash of cash that I had hidden. My pea coat has a torn lining and I slid it in there. My father checked the pockets of my bag, but apparently he didn’t think to check the clothing, so it was still in there when I got to Marie’s. I used that cash to get a ride back here to you.

“Anyway, so at Marie’s, I was basically imprisoned in her basement. Her completely unfinished basement. That leaks. The only window had bars on it, and the only door to the outside had about fifty locks on it. I got an army cot to sleep on. No pillow, so I ended up balling up clothing for a pillow most nights. Crappy bathroom with toilet paper she stole from public restrooms. I wasn’t even allowed my own shampoo and soap because apparently body wash instead of bar soap is also ‘too faggy’ for a ‘real man’ to use,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers. “I DID get fresh laundry since that was where the equipment was located, yay me, but that was about all I got.

“Meal deliveries were great. Shelf stable items were tossed down the stairs at regular intervals. I had a box of generic Cheerios flung at my head once – THAT was fun. Other days I might get a box of crackers. The day I got a box of microwave popcorn was a treat. There was a microwave that must have been the first model ever invented down in the basement, so if she hit me with anything that required cooking, I was covered, but it wasn’t often. Which is good – I’m pretty sure that old thing was leaking radioactive material or something. I swear, I need a BURGER now that I’m out of that hell hole.”

“You want one, Blaine? I would be happy to make one for you.” Carole offered.

Blaine smiled gratefully at her. “Can you make me one tomorrow, Carole? I just kinda want to finish my story and then get some sleep.”

“Of course, dear. Go ahead.”

“I had regular ‘counseling’ sessions with the pastor from our church. I say ‘counseling’ in quotes because they were really more gab sessions than anything. My father sent him to try to talk me into being straight, but, you’re gonna love this one Kurt – the pastor himself was gay!”

“Oh my God, seriously?”

“Yeah, ironic, huh? Homophobe Extraordinaire John Anderson sends a gay man to talk his gay son into going straight.” Blaine actually chuckled at this point.

“What did you and the pastor talk about?” Kurt asked. ”I mean, once he found out why he was there, he wouldn’t exactly be sitting there lecturing you on the joys of being straight.”

“Pastor James’ visits were the best part of my day. He told me about his experiences growing up and coming out and his relationships and anything I could think of to ask him. I told him about you and how much you mean to me and my hopes for the future, both for myself, and for us. He would like to meet you sometime. He said you sound like a phenomenal young man. I told him that if the best word he could come up with to describe you was phenomenal, then I have been lax in truly capturing the absolute magic that is Kurt Hummel accurately with words.”

Kurt blushed at Blaine’s sweet words. “I’d like to meet him, too. We could really use a positive gay role model.” He turned to face his father. “Dad, you try so hard and you’re every bit the man I’d love to grow up to be, but there are just some things that are better discussed with someone who has been there and done that.”

“No offense taken, Kurt,” Burt said understandingly.

“I agree with you, Kurt. Having him around has been a blessing. I will call him soon and make arrangements to meet up with him and get coffee or something.”

“How did you finally get out of there, Blaine?” Carole asked.

“Well, on my 18th birthday, the crazy lady reported back to my father that yep, I was still gay, and nope, that wasn’t changing. Then I received papers in the mail. In exchange for signing papers saying that I would never contact him or my mother again, I would receive a check for $10,000.” Blaine answered.

“Did you take it?”

“Yes, I did. I needed the money to get started on my own and for school and stuff.”

Kurt was a bit taken aback. “I thought you had had a good relationship with them. Or at least with your mom, anyway. I didn’t realize you would give up on that that easily.”

“I did, Kurt. But now that I know how they feel about gay people, and how they treat their own son just for being gay, I have no real use for them in my life. They made a choice too. If I have contact with them, I would never be able to have contact with you. And that is just not in any way acceptable. It hurts me, but, I can do without _them_ , Kurt, but I can’t do without you.”

Kurt began to cry at Blaine’s beautiful words. “I love you so much. Thank you for coming back to me.”

“Don’t thank me for something that was never a choice. We’re two halves of the same whole, Kurt. We have to be together. I can’t do it without you.”

“A very wise man once said something similar,” Burt said, smiling.

Kurt grinned at his father, “Yes Dad, you were right. I’m happy to admit it.”

“Good. Just so you remember that dear old Dad isn’t always wrong.”

“What’s next, honey?” Kurt asked Blaine.

“Well, what’s next is that I’d really like to get some sleep, because this discussion has wiped me out.”

“Of course! I’ll just go make up the guest bedroom.” Carole started to get up.

Burt gently touched her arm to stop her, “Carole? It’s okay with me if Blaine stays in Kurt’s room. I think they’ve earned it. Door open and PG rating, boys.”

“Thanks, Dad. You’re the best.”

“I know. Goodnight, kids.”


	15. Chapter 15

The boys slowly made their way upstairs to Kurt’s room. They were enjoying every single second of finally being together once again.

“I have been waiting so long for you to come back that it just seems like a dream, but – OUCH! Blaine, what the hell?” Kurt asked indignantly.

“You thought it was a dream. I pinched you. It hurt. You’re awake, Kurt, and it’s not a dream.”

“You’re lucky I love you so much, you cheeky little hobbit.”

“And I love you, my sweet porcelain diva.”

After the boys had gotten changed into more comfortable sleeping clothes and Kurt had finished his nighttime routine (which had been seriously neglected in the weeks that Blaine was gone), they snuggled up close together. Neither one felt as if they could get close enough to the other.

“It feels so good to lay down in a plush comfortable bed with fabulously high thread count sheets. I’ve been sleeping on an army cot for the last almost seven weeks and I have a new respect for the military’s living conditions and appreciation for yours. Can I stay here forever?” he sighed, snuggling into the bed.

“I absolutely insist, Blaine.”

Blaine smiled and hugged Kurt tighter. He felt something and frowned. “Kurt, I can count each one of your ribs. You are so thin honey.”

“I know. I couldn’t keep anything down while you were gone. I tried, but I lived my life in a constant state of nausea. I tried not to think too hard, but it wasn’t working.”

“Well, I’m back now. We are going to fatten you up so I don’t have to worry about hurting you when I am grinding myself all. Over. You.”

“Blaine, as much as you turn me on, I feel like this is the time for reconnecting emotionally. We will most definitely revisit reconnecting physically at another time, I promise. Let’s just lay here.”

That reminded Kurt of a song lyric. And oddly enough, Blaine thought of it at the exact same time. They both softly sang,

_If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?_

“Great minds think alike, baby,” whispered Blaine.

The two boys laid together curled up in each other’s arms, content to listen to each other breathe and feel the other’s warmth. After several minutes of staring deeply into each other’s eyes, the weight of Blaine’s emotions came crashing down on him and he began to cry.

“God, Kurt, I missed you so much. My heart felt like it was literally torn into shreds. I didn’t know what was going to happen, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to come back to you. I just didn’t know, and I was terrified of the possibilities. I meant what I said before, I can’t make it without you in my life. Even if we were to break up romantically, I would always want you in my life in some way. You are infinitely precious to me. I love you SO MUCH. And  I feel like I need to say it a million times in a million different ways just to make it up to you for not saying it for so long.”

“First of all, Blaine, I knew the whole time you still loved me. Your father tried to tell me you ran away because you were ashamed of us, but I didn’t believe it for an instant. You love me, I know that, and I know there was never any way you’d leave willingly without telling me. We tried so hard to find you, too, but the police weren’t being any help. We kinda think they know your dad and are afraid of him.”

“I would believe that. My father has built up a name for himself in Westerville. It’s not the best name, though, so he was probably blackmailing them somehow for their silence.”

“Assholes,” Kurt muttered. After a few moments, he went on.  “I was really scared too, Blaine. I need you just as much as you need me. We’re it, baby. We’ll always be fabulous apart, but better together. And I love you so much, too.”

Kurt turned them so that he was lying on his back and Blaine was on his side facing Kurt. Blaine laid his head on Kurt’s chest, much like the way Kurt did to Blaine the first time they shared a bed, and just laid there silently. Kurt started to rub Blaine’s back, hoping it would help relax him so he could get a little rest. Blaine looked as though he was going to drop off to sleep at any moment, but his head was fighting his body and he just wasn’t quite there yet. Kurt decided to try singing to see if that would help.

_Good night  
Don’t be afraid   
Sleep tight in my arms   
I swear you’ll be okay   
I'll keep you from harm _

_‘Cause I love you and I always will  
And you know I’m gonna be true   
And whenever you need me   
I'll be here with you _

_I know  
Times have been hard   
Life has treated you bad   
Well baby, let down your guard   
Try not to be sad _

_Cause I promised to stay by your side.  
And now that’s what I’m gonna do   
When the others have gone away   
I'll be here with you _

_I'll be here  
When the nights grow cold   
I'll be here  
When the skies are blue   
I'll be here  
When we both grow old  
Here with you_

_So Good night  
Don’t be afraid   
Sleep safe in my arms   
Baby, you’ll be okay   
I'll keep you from harm_

_And tomorrow if trouble should come  
You can count on me to come through   
Because now and for always  
I'll be here with you_

_Come rain or come shine  
Through thick and through thin   
For better or worse   
I'll be here with you _

_So Good night  
Don’t be afraid _

Kurt looked down at the beautiful boy in his arms and was happy to see that he had finally drifted off to sleep. He turned his head slightly so he could press a soft kiss into the curls on top of Blaine’s head.

Unknown to Kurt, Burt and Carole had heard Kurt singing on their way to their bedroom and stopped in Kurt’s doorway. He was facing away from the door, so they were able to stand there silently and listen. As soon as he was finished with the song, he shifted in the bed. Not enough so that he could see that he was being watched, but just enough so that the light from the night light caught a single tear making its way down Kurt’s cheek. Carole inhaled sharply, and Burt tilted his head to indicate that she should head to their bedroom.

They closed their bedroom door behind them and went about their bedtime routines silently. Once they had both slipped beneath the covers, Carole said tearily, “I have always adored Kurt. He is impossible not to love. He has the purest heart I have ever seen. But I don’t think I have ever loved him more than I have right now.”

“I’m the luckiest father in the whole damn world to have Kurt as my son.”

“Blaine’s going to be our son too someday, isn’t he?”

“He already is, Carole, he already is.” Burt pulled his wife into his arms, kissed her sweetly on the lips, and they both quickly fell asleep.

**xXxXxXx**

“Aww, Kurt, honey, what’s wrong?” asked Blaine.  He noticed that Kurt had a very unhappy expression on his face.

He and Kurt were kicked back on the couch the next evening curled up in a blanket together. The TV wasn’t on, there was no one else in the room, and they weren’t talking or anything. They were just being together, enjoying each other’s company.

Kurt turned his face and buried it into Blaine’s shoulder. “S’nothing,” he mumbled.

“It’s not nothing, Kurt. I know you. Something’s eating away at you in that gorgeous little head of yours. Please tell me?”

Kurt sighed heavily. Blaine noted that it was that kind of sigh you do when you’re trying very hard not to cry. “Summer break is over, Blaine. Tomorrow I go back to McKinley, you go back to Dalton… we didn’t get any time together at all over the last month and a half because of the assholes that gave birth to you.”

“I’m here now though Kurt, and I’ll stay as long as I can.”

“I know. I missed you so much. I was a wreck while you were gone. My father was just about to have me admitted somewhere.  I’m so happy you’re here. But I’m going to lose you again soon, this time to Dalton. And who knows when I’ll get to see you again?”

Kurt couldn’t help the tears that began to stream down his face. He turned his face and began to get up to get a box of Kleenex, but Blaine tightened his grip on him. “Blaine, stop. I need to get up so I don’t get snot all over your shirt.”

“Shirts will wash, Kurt. You need me, and I need you in my arms just as much.”

Kurt wondered how Blaine was keeping it together. His voice sounded so calm. Then Kurt turned to look in Blaine’s eyes and saw how glassy they were. He was fighting to keep the tears from falling. His lip was trembling violently, too. The look on Blaine’s face was the final straw. Kurt couldn’t hold back the body-shaking sob, and the floodgates burst open.

“I’m… gonna miss..you so…mu-uch…Bl-Bl-aine,” he choked out between the sobs and sniffles.

“Kurt, honey, you’re killing me here. Please calm down, huh?” He started stroking Kurt’s hair. As much as Kurt absolutely hated people touching his hair, Blaine had found that it had a very calming effect on him. Eventually Kurt had relaxed his unwritten rule about no one touching his ‘do – Blaine was allowed, but no one else. Kurt took a bunch of deep breaths and eventually was able to stop crying.

“Can I go get the Kleenex now, Blaine? I think your shirt is over capacity on tears.”

Blaine chuckled. He knew _his_ Kurt was still in there somewhere. “Yes, go get your Kleenexes. But hurry right back to me.”

Kurt grabbed the box and ripped out a few tissues. He wiped his eyes, blew his nose, and composed himself as best he could. “Okay, I think I’m better now.”

“Good. If there’s one thing that tears my heart out, it’s you crying. You are far too beautiful to have anything but happiness on your face.”

“I love you so much, Blaine. I know I say it a lot, but I mean it with everything I am every time I say it.”

“I know, Kurt, and believe me, the feeling is so mutual. I love being in love with you. It’s the best thing I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Blaine turned Kurt to him and gave him a sweet, loving kiss. He wanted to go farther with it, but this was not the time for passion and lust. Kurt needed reassurance and love, and he poured all that he could of both into the kiss.

“Now, Kurt. I promise things are going to be okay. No, really,” he said, as Kurt began to shake his head. “Kurt, look at me. I promise. I don’t quite know what tomorrow will bring, but I do promise that I will do everything I can to make sure that we don’t drift apart. To not have you would be devastating, and I will not let that happen if I have anything to say about it.”

Kurt offered a small smile. “Okay, I believe you. I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right, I thought you knew that?”

“You’re so humble, Blaine.” Kurt teased.

Blaine preened for effect, “I know. It’s one of my most endearing features.”

“No, that’s your smile and your huge heart. Though your butt isn’t bad either,” Kurt said as he winked at Blaine.

“I’m so glad you’re feeling a bit better, sweetie. I’m going to have to leave soon since we have school tomorrow, but I can afford to sit here a little while longer.”

Blaine leaned back on the couch and pulled Kurt with him. He replaced the blanket around them and tucked in around Kurt. Kurt snuggled right back into the same position he was in before his crying jag. They were as close as they could be without being right on top of each other. Together they sat, just listening to each other breathe and holding hands under the blanket. Blaine’s thumb gently rubbed Kurt’s hand, and it seemed to lull Kurt to sleep. Blaine placed a gentle kiss on Kurt’s forehead, and when he was sure he was asleep, he picked Kurt up in his arms and brought him to his room. Blaine wasn’t buff by any means, but Kurt wasn’t all that heavy, especially at the moment. He frowned at how light Kurt actually was now. He put him on his bed and tucked him in. He then stepped back, wiped away a few of his own tears, and whispered, “Take care of my heart, my love. I’m leaving it with you.”

He quietly slipped through the door, pulled it shut, and left the Hummels’ to drive home. Home. Not Dalton. Dalton was not on the agenda tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is I'll Be Here With You by Nancy LaMott


	16. Chapter 16

Kurt woke up several hours later to the sound of R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Mercedes was calling him. He sat up, not remembering when or how he had gotten to his bed. It must have been Blaine, he thought, as he noticed that his cell phone was right on the night stand next to him connected to the charger. Neither his father nor Finn would ever think of such details.

“Mercedes, it’s….holy cow, 11:30 at night. We have to get up for school in the morning. What’s up?”

“And hello to you too, Kurt. I was just calling to let you know that Mr. Schue decided to have a before-school Glee club meeting tomorrow.”

“Seriously? What in the world for?”

“No idea. He just wants to be sure that we’re all there. I think he wanted to get to work early on recruiting new members, and the first day of school was as good a time as any to start.”

Kurt grumbled, “I think hanging out with April Rhodes all summer has fried his brain. Oh well. It’s a good thing I got in a nap today. I’ll be needing to get up even earlier tomorrow to get ready.”

“A nap? How come? Are you feeling okay? ‘Cause the Kurt Hummel I know doesn’t nap.”

“I kinda fell asleep on Blaine, I think. I woke up tucked in snuggly to my bed, so he must have brought me here before he left. I guess the tearfest I had took a lot out of me.”

“Awww, Kurtsie. I know you’re going to miss him, but you guys will make it work. You two are a couple of the most determined people I know. And the most in love as well.”

“I know, Mercedes. It’s just so HARD.” He protested.

“Go back to sleep, Kurt. A good night’s rest has a way of making things look brighter in the morning. And if you’re still feeling down, I’m sure Mr. Schue will let you sing about it.”

“Thanks Mercedes. When does he want us there, 7?”

“Yep, sounds good. See you then!”

“G’night Mercedes.”

He hung up the phone and went into his bathroom, beginning his nightly routine that was neglected when he was put to bed the first time. He changed into his PJs when he finished and then crawled back into bed. He drifted back to sleep almost immediately with thoughts of his boyfriend’s beautiful smile floating through his head.

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt pulled into the McKinley parking lot at 6:57am. Clearly Mr. Schuester was insane, as this was far too early to be here. Even Coach Sylvester’s car wasn’t here yet, which was odd, because Kurt suspected she lived in some sort of evil lair buried deep within the bowels of the school plotting to take over the world Pinky and the Brain style. He gathered his messenger bag, checked to be sure his clothes were just so, and went into the school. He approached the choir room and heard a lot of voices. He was sure he heard someone say “SHHHHHHH! It’s almost 7! You know how punctual he is! SHUT UP!”

He frowned. _Now I KNOW something is up._ He pushed open the choir room door and as he was walking in, he said, “Okay, guys. I know you’re keeping something from me.  Time to let me in on all your dirty little secrets!”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone in the back row of seats stand up. He turned to see who it was.

“Blaine? What are you doing here?”

**xXxXxXx**

“Not that I’m not glad to see you or anything, Blaine, but shouldn’t you be at Dalton?”

Blaine grinned, “I couldn’t go to Dalton today. I had to come here to attend my first Glee club meeting.”

“But you’re a Warbler. You can’t be here. Dalton is some of our competition.”

Blaine could see Kurt just wasn’t connecting the dots. He walked down the steps to where Kurt was standing by the piano. “Kurt, only Dalton Academy students can be Warblers.”

Kurt was very confused. What wasn’t he catching? “Blaine?”

“As of this morning, I am a McKinley High student. I can’t be a Warbler anymore, but I CAN be in New Directions. If you all will have me.” Blaine explained patiently to his beau.

“HELL YEAH we’ll have you!” yelled Finn.

Mr. Schuester raised an eyebrow at Finn and gave him a look as if to say, Calm down, be quiet, and let them have their moment.

“But why, Blaine? I thought you loved Dalton. And the other Warblers. You all are such wonderful friends.”

“I do love Dalton. Dalton and the Warblers and our friends there got me through some extremely difficult times in my life. Dalton is also what brought you to me. But now I kind of feel like Dalton has served its purpose in my life. It provided me a safe haven to run to when the bullies got to me. It helped me make friendships that I will likely cherish all my life. It brought YOU to me and kept you safe. I got to perform at Regionals with someone very special to me. Through you, I’ve made a whole other different, but equally wonderful, group of friends that I am excited to get to know better. But then you left Dalton. And I felt something deep down in my heart and in my soul that told me that I needed to be where you are. I do admit there are things in it for me besides being with the love of my life. I won’t have to tiptoe around my father to get him to pay the tuition. I get to wear actual clothes rather than the same old blazer day in and day out. I’ll get to be ME and not just that boy who leads the Warblers. I’ll get to be more musically more creative here because we’re not trying to fit into a perfectly choreographed and harmonized little box. I’ll be allowed to be a little crazy and a little spontaneous. I need to be here, Kurt. And I need to be with you.”

Just then a big sniffle was heard from the back of the room. Puck looked up and said, “What? That was beautiful. Am I not supposed to have feelings?” The entire group laughed.

Lauren gave him a big hug. “And you tell ME I have a big ass heart.”

“Dude, it’s not as if I advertise it. People would demote me from my am-badass-ador position,” Puck crowed.

“All right guys? I think Kurt and Blaine were having a moment here so let’s let them finish it and then we can get to figuring out how to recruit new people and start discussing what songs we should do for sectionals this year and…”

“RACHEL! Can it,” sighed Mercedes. “Your bossiness is exhausting.”

Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand and quietly pulled him out into the hallway. “Kurt, you’ve been kind of quiet. Are you okay with this? I know it’s a bit of a surprise, but you’re worrying me. I can transfer back to Dalton if you don’t want me here. I’ll figure something out.”

The words _don’t want me_ snapped Kurt out of his daydream. “Oh God no, Blaine. I will **never** not want you here. I’m just worried that now that you’re actually here and being around me so often, you’ll get tired of me.”

“Don’t you get it, Kurt? I’m here because I can’t get enough of you. And I love your friends. And your Glee club. You got to share the Warblers with me. And I’m excited to share the New Directions with you. This is going to be **our** year, Kurt. ‘Our’ meaning New Directions, ‘our’ meaning you and me… this year is **ours**. It’s going to be amazing!”

“YOU’RE amazing, Blaine. I hope you never forget that. I want you here. Don’t go. I don’t think the Glee club will let me send you away anyway. I think they like you more than me,” Kurt giggled.

“No they don’t. Did you know they’ve been in on this whole scheme for awhile? Every last one of them, including Mr. Schuester? They adore you. I asked every single one of them for their opinion and their blessing, and every single one of them wants me here and you happy. It will be FANTASTIC.”

“Okay, Blaine. I trust you. Let’s go do this thing!”

As Kurt turned to happily bounce back into the choir room, Blaine pulled Kurt to him and planted a huge kiss on his lips. It quickly turned heated and soon the boys forgot where they were. A knock on the wall next to them startled them out of their lust-induced stupor.

“Um guys?” said Sam. “We’re all really happy for you and everything, but please note that we can see you through the window off to the side of the door.”

Kurt turned beet red and Blaine just chuckled. As they walked back into the choir room, Blaine said “I hope you all liked the free show. Next time we’re charging admission.”

Tina yelled, “Sign me up – I’ll pay it!”

“Me too,” said Santana.

“Not you, Santana. You’ll just try to jump in and steal my man,” Kurt retorted.

“Always foiling my plans, Kurt. Some friend you are,” Santana snarked.

“Well, now that Blaine has thrown himself into the lion’s den, I’m going to have to keep my eyes on him and your hands off him.”

“So he’s staying?” Rachel hoped. “Please?”

“Pleeeeeeaaaaassssseeee?” the rest of the New Directions whined.

“Yes, he’s staying, boys and girls. Just remember, look at him all you want, but the only hands that should be on him are mine,” Kurt smiled.

“Wait, guys. Don’t forget that Blaine still needs to audition for us,” Mr. Schue reminded them. “We do this for everyone, even if we **are** well aware of how insanely talented they are and how honored we should be to have them with us.”

Mercedes scoffed at Mr. Schuester. “Are you serious, Mr. Schue? Really? I mean, LOOK at the boy. He says to me ‘Secret Weapon.’ Sunshine Corazon has absolutely nothing on him.”

Blaine was nonplussed, “It’s okay, guys. I actually fully expected this and had a number prepared. You will have to forgive me, though, if I had someone in mind to sing it to when I made my selection.”

“I’d be surprised if you hadn’t, Blaine. Hit it!” Mr. Schue responded.

“Puck, join me please?” Puck picked up his guitar and joined Blaine at the front of the choir room.

_My head is stuck in the clouds  
He begs me to come down  
Says "Boy quit foolin' around"  
I told him I love the view from up here  
Warm sun and wind in my ear  
We'll watch the world from above  
As it turns to the rhythm of love_

_We may only have tonight  
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine  
Play the Music low and sway to the rhythm of love_

At this point, Finn was sitting down at the drums and Santana picked up a tambourine. Finn grabbed his sticks and waited for his cue.

_My heart beats like a drum  
A guitar string to the strum  
A beautiful song to be sung_

Puck, Finn, and Artie joined in on the harmonies

_He's got blue eyes deep like the sea  
That roll back when he's laughing at me  
He rises up like the tide  
The moment his lips meet mine  
We may only have tonight  
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine  
Play the Music low and sway to the rhythm of love  
  
When the moon is low  
We can dance in slow motion  
And all your tears will subside  
All your tears will dry_

_Ba-ba ba-ba ba-ba baba  
Da da-da dum da-da dum  
Ba-ba ba-ba ba-ba ba-ba  
Da da-da dum da-da dum  
  
And long after I've gone  
You'll still be humming along  
And I will keep you in my mind  
The way you make love so fine  
We may only have tonight  
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine  
Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love._

“Excellent work, Blaine, and all of you,” praised Mr. Schuester. “Not like I needed to say this, but you’re in. Welcome to New Directions, Blaine. We are all thrilled to have you here.”

“Thanks everyone! I’m looking forward to it. I’m hoping that now that I’m here, I can do something that the Warblers would never let me do.”

“Wear a different color blazer?” Kurt asked facetiously.

Blaine laughed. “I've always wanted to do one of those big _show stopping Broadway numbers_.”

“Yeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh no, honey, those are mine. And when they’re not mine, they’re Rachel’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is Rhythm of Love by the Plain White T's


	17. Chapter 17

The early Glee club meeting ended up being a big trick to get Kurt to school early on the first day of school. Blaine had asked Mr. Schue to use his access to the school intranet to pull a copy of Kurt’s schedule, and it was nearly identical to Blaine’s. With both boys being in honors classes, there was very little variation even possible in their school day. Short of Blaine skipping school for the entire first day, there was really no other way for them to get him to a Glee club meeting without Kurt noticing.

Kurt was excited to introduce Blaine around throughout the morning. In every class he noticed at least one girl ogling his man, and he was always quick to reach behind him or across the aisle to wherever Blaine was sitting and grab his hand. Luckily Blaine was a good sport about this – he had no desire to be chased after by girls. He thought the possessiveness was kind of cute, as long as Kurt was careful not to let himself get out of hand.

The two boys grabbed a small table in the corner by themselves at lunchtime. The New Directions kids had wanted them to sit with the group, but Kurt had had some questions for Blaine about his transfer and how things would work now that he was attending McKinley, so they wanted a place to sit and talk.

“It is a beautiful thing to sit here in the McKinley High lunchroom and hold your hand across the table and not have to worry about Karofsky or one of his minions coming up to slam my head into the wall,” Kurt remarked.

“We don’t HAVE to worry about any minions, right? I know Karofsky is gone for good, but he had to have some followers,” asked Blaine.

“You know, he really didn’t,” Kurt said, taking a moment to think about it. “I think he kind of alienated himself. Even Azimio got sick of him after awhile. Normally Azimio would be the only one we’d have to worry about, but he lost his power with Karofsky gone, and now he just doesn’t seem to care to be an asshole anymore. Finn has to put up with him because they’re both on the football team, and he says that while he isn’t nice by any means, he seems to be a little more human.”

Blaine felt some relief. “That’s really good. That was the one thing I was truly worried about with your return to McKinley and my move to join you. I didn’t know if we’d be upsetting a delicate and volatile balance, or if they’d just let us be.”

Kurt considered that. “Well, I think we’re still going to be outcasts, but I think they’ve had their ‘fun’ with the whole prom queen debacle. And since Karofsky was the one who facilitated that little exercise in humiliation, and he’s gone, there probably won’t be any sort of a repeat on a grand scale. There’s no ringleader anymore. I think we’re just going to be the usual Glee club losers, and that’s okay. It could be, and has been, far worse. I’m looking forward to being able to breathe again.”

“Sounds fantastic. Dalton was wonderful for keeping us safe, but it also does a really good job at sheltering people. It will be great to have a real high school experience this year.”

“You will. Say, are you interested in going to Homecoming with me? Usually the whole Glee club goes because half of them  are on the field either as a football player or a cheerleader, or occasionally even as a Homecoming court candidate.”

“It’s football, and you’re going to be there. What do you think, Kurt?”

“I think we better coordinate our outfits so we look fabulous! But I promise. I will leave the kilt at home.”

“Maybe you can leave the kilt at MY home and wear it for me sometime, babe,” Blaine winked.

“Oh my God! I can’t believe I forgot to ask you! We didn’t even talk about where you’re living now! Are you still living at that crazy woman’s house?”

“You didn’t catch it, did you? I said MY home. As in, ‘belonging to Blaine.’ I got an apartment. Well, it’s really a small guest house on someone else’s property, but it’s my own place. The second I had those papers from my parents in my hand, I booked it the hell out of there. I think I even knocked that old bat on her ass on my way out! I’m sorry I didn’t contact you the second I got out of there, but I was busy trying to get myself set up with a place to live. I hope you understand.”

Kurt squealed, “Ooh! Decorating party!”

Blaine laughed. If the first thing on Kurt’s mind was a decorating party, then the whole topic was forgiven and forgotten in a matter of seconds.

”Please tell me you want help sprucing the place up! I saw a bed set the other day that was the exact shade of brown as your eyes and just reminded me so much of you. I NEED to buy it for you now that I have an excuse!” He bounced around in his chair, and Blaine just smiled and shook his head. His boyfriend was adorable, but clearly he needed some Ritalin or something ‘cause he was just way too hyper sometimes.

 “Kurt, honey, chill, please. Your bouncing is making me seasick. Now, first of all, yes, you can help me decorate, but you have to SWEAR to me that you will not go overboard and that you will NOT give me that devastating pout of yours if I tell you no to something. I want you to have fun, and I want you to have some say so you’re comfortable there, too, but it’s my first place, and I want it to look like I live there, too.”

“Okay, Blaine, whatever you say. I’m just happy I get to help!”

“And second, Kurt, you missed something again. I. Have. My. Own. Place. My OWN place. As in it’s only me living there. ONLY ME. No one will walk in without knocking and being allowed in.”

“Yes Blaine, your own pla… Oh. O-OOOOHHH.” Kurt flushed, finally realizing the significance.

“That’s it, baby. I see you’re finally on the same wavelength as me. We are FINALLY going to be able to get privacy whenever we want it!”

Kurt frowned. The idea of unlimited and uninterrupted privacy sounded nice, but it also seemed like a huge responsibility, and quite frankly, a little scary as well.

“You’re thinking too hard again, Kurt. I want to know every little bit of what’s on your mind, but you’re going to tell me after Glee club this evening. The bell is about to ring and the look on your face tells me that we need more than two minutes to talk about whatever it is you need to hash out. Okay?”

Kurt smiled softly. “Yeah, okay. It never ceases to amaze me how well you can read me.”

“I don’t know what other men are worried about or talking about when they say they can’t read their significant others. I truly believe that if they would just sit down and pay attention, they would figure a lot of things out. I pay attention, Kurt, so I know how to read you for the most part.” Blaine got up from his seat at their lunch table and reached his hand out to help him up as well. “This can wait, right? We don’t need to skip trig to go have a talk now?”

Kurt slid his arm around Blaine’s lower back. “Nope, we’re good. This is actually something I don’t want to discuss where there is any chance of anyone overhearing our conversation, so waiting is best.”

Blaine threw his wrappers from his lunch in the trash and mirrored Kurt’s move with the arm around his back. “Shall we?”

Kurt swung his faithful messenger bag onto his shoulder. Despite being the taller one, Kurt managed to fit himself perfectly inside Blaine’s arm. “We shall.”

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt’s last class of the day, gym, was going to end up making him late for every Glee club rehearsal this first semester of school. Having it the last period of the day was both a blessing and a curse. He wouldn’t have to feel sweaty and gross for the rest of the day, but he also had very little time to primp and make himself as presentable as possible between the last bell and the time when the jocks would begin to file in for whatever the sport du jour was on that day. Thankfully on Glee rehearsal days, Coach Beiste was agreeable to having practice start an hour later than usual so the boys on the team and in the club wouldn’t have to choose. Unlike Coach Tanaka, she was very supportive of the Glee club. Kurt grabbed up the rest of his belongings and made the trek across the school.

As he approached the choir room, he heard Brittany’s voice. “So Blaine, do you want to make out?”

“Here? In front of all these people? I can’t.” Kurt walked over to the door of the choir room and peeked in so he could see what was going on, but he wouldn’t be detected. He wanted to see how far this would go.

“Why not?” whined Brittany. “I’ve made out with everyone in the school including Kurt and we all know he’s capital G gay too. It’d really mean a lot to me to not break my record.”

“Well, I’m sorry Brittany, but I’m taken. You know this. You’re beautiful, but I’m not interested in making out with a woman or anyone who isn’t Kurt.” _Awwww good boy, thought Kurt._

Brittany then put her hands on Blaine’s arms and tried to drag him closer. _Oh HELL to the no._

Kurt stormed into the room. “Brittany! Are you FLIRTIN’ with my man??” He placed his hands on his hips and gave her his very best bitch face.

“Oops, sorry Kurt. Sorry Blaine,” she said sheepishly and then went to sit behind Santana, obviously counting on her to protect her from the wrath of Kurt.

“Hi Blaine!” Kurt bounced to his boyfriend and plopped himself down in his lap.

“Jeez, Kurt, why don’t you just pee on my leg and claim me that way, too,” he laughed heartily.

“Can’t – I used the bathroom before I left the locker room after gym.”

Finn frowned in confusion. “You. USED. A PUBLIC toilet? Dude, you won’t even sit down in our bathroom at home without putting toilet paper down.”

“Okay, Finn, for one thing, I know what teenage boys do to bathrooms, and eew. Just, eew. I wouldn’t have to put toilet paper down if you’d just turn the light on when you go in the middle of the night. And for another thing, I may be girly, but I am still a guy and therefore able to do certain things without sitting. Besides, when one has had as many diet cokes as I have today, one must make concessions somewhere.”

“Okay, fine, fine. Just making an observation.”

Kurt wiggled a bit on Blaine’s lap before he leaned in to hug him and give him a peck on the lips.

“Hey babe?” Blaine whispered softly into Kurt’s ear.

Kurt looked at Blaine and raised his eyebrows, silently giving him permission to continue.

“You’re gonna have to sit in your own chair right now. I can’t hold off this problem much longer and I don’t want Santana and Brittany getting any ideas. I have light colored pants on.”

“OH! Okay, I’ll move,” Kurt agreed quietly, although Kurt’s little evil streak urged him to grind his ass into Blaine’s lap just a wee bit more before he slid into the empty seat to Blaine’s left.

“Ungh,” Blaine grunted silently. He glared at Kurt as if to say, I know you did that on purpose, you little shit, but Kurt smiled and made a circle around his head as if to symbolize a halo. _Yeah right,_ he smirked. _Angel my ass._

Mr. Schuester was the last one to arrive for rehearsal, so as soon as he set down his things, he began to call the Glee club to order and begin.

“Excuse me, Mr. Schuester, I’d like to say a few words?”

“Go ahead Rachel, but make them brief. I’d like to get started sometime today.”

“Of course, Mr. Schuester. Now, first of all, I’m sure we’d all like to welcome Blaine Warbler to – “

“I’m sorry, Rachel,” Blaine broke in. “But WHY does everyone call me Blaine Warbler?”

“I thought that was your name,” said Brittany with confusion. Which was really nothing new.

“I was a Warbler at Dalton, yes, but that was just the name of my singing group. Didn’t you guys know that I have an actual last name?”

“I’m sorry Blaine, we just heard Kurt call you Blaine Warbler a couple of times and figured that it was a big coincidence that your name was Warbler, also,” said Rachel.

Blaine rolled his eyes. He really liked Kurt’s friends, but he was beginning to understand why he, Kurt, Artie, and Tina were the only ones in the club in honors classes – they could be a little on the clueless side sometimes.

“I’m sorry honey,” Kurt mumbled. “There are some times when this group is a little more duh than others.” He raised his voice. “Well, then, I would like to officially introduce you to the newest non-Warbler, Blaine _Anderson_ ,” he emphasized.

“It’s nice to officially meet the real you, Blaine. We’re sorry if calling you Warbler was in any way offensive to you,” said Mr. Schue.

“It’s okay guys. I just want my OWN identity here. Warblers are at Dalton. Not at McKinley.”

“Now, as I was SAYING before I was so RUDELY interrupted – “

“Watch it Rachel,” Kurt grumbled.

Rachel flashed an angry look at Kurt, “- I was just about to tell Blaine that I call dibs on him for the first duet of the year.”

“Speaking of rude, Rachel, how do you know whether or not he wants to sing with you?” demanded Mercedes.

“Guys, guys, this isn’t going to work if we’re all fighting. Rachel, I prefer to be asked about solos and duets. At Dalton it was just assumed that I would do it and I was just assigned the music. I had no say whatsoever. Part of coming here is about me having a say.” Blaine defended.

 Rachel pouted, “FINE! Gosh, you people are so darn DIFFICULT. Blaine, would you like to sing a duet with me?”

Blaine smiled indulgently, “Well, Rachel, it depends on what you had in mind, but I’m listening.”

“I wanted to sing _Broken_ by Seether and Amy Lee.”

Blaine considered that one. “Hmm. Honestly Rachel, I think you’d be better picking one of the other guys for that one. It sounds best when the male vocals are a little grittier and rough. My voice is pretty smooth and not totally suited for that particular song.”

Rachel stomped off in a huff and grabbed Artie’s chair. “C’mon, Artie. Make yourself useful and sing this one with me.”

Rachel and Artie went off into the corner to discuss the music and instrumentation for her song choice.

“I’m so proud of you, honey! Rachel gets her way far too often, and I applaud you for not letting her railroad you into doing what she wants,” gushed Kurt.

Blaine smiled. “I mean what I said about having a say. I know you guys are happy to have me here because I’m good, but I don’t want that to be the only reason. I badly want to be here with you all because I truly enjoy singing, but I won’t enjoy it if I am pressured into doing things I don’t want to do, and I WILL quit if it comes to that, so she needs to back off. She might as well start learning now.”

“Assertive Blaine is a very attractive Blaine,” Kurt said shyly. His head was tilted down but he was looking up through his eyelashes and it was a very innocent look that triggered urges in Blaine.

“I can’t wait to take you to my place this afternoon,” said Blaine, starting to get a little turned on.

“I know, and I can’t wait to see your place, but that’s part of what I wanted to talk about at lunch time, so just know there is a conversation to be had when we get there,” Kurt reminded him.

 _Shit, I forgot about that. I hope it won’t be a long discussion,_ Blaine thought.

“Sounds good, babe. In the meantime, I suppose I should probably start coming up with some music for myself.”

“Actually, I have a suggestion for you. It’s that show-stopping Broadway number you want, and it’ll annoy the HELL out of Rachel ‘cause it’s a solo number AND it’s Broadway that she isn’t singing. She grudgingly lets me do some Broadway ‘cause she knows that we’re cut from some of the same cloth (though I admittedly bedazzle that cloth up first), but I think she’ll kick up a fuss if you sing one.” Kurt schemed.

“You’re evil and vindictive and I love it and tell me how I can help,” Blaine smirked, eager to knock the bossy brunette down a couple of pegs. He wanted to establish himself in the pecking order ASAP so he wouldn’t be treated as a doormat. Hey, just because he didn’t want to be the sole star anymore, that didn’t mean he wanted to fade out entirely!

“I think you should sing Anthem from the musical Chess,” Kurt grinned. “I think you’d be fantastic!”

“Oh wow – that song is beautiful. I think I know it, but I know I don’t know the words. Do we have some sheet music or something?”

“Can you wing it if I Google you the words on my phone?”

“Yep, I think I can. I’ll screw them up, but I always do that. I once swam across an empty land according to my version of the lyrics!” said Blaine.

Kurt giggled. “You, my dear, are a hoot. But I love you for it. Try not to screw these words up, though, okay?”

Blaine crossed his heart and held up his hand as if he was reciting the Boy Scout oath.

“Hey Brad?” called Kurt. “Anthem from Chess – you know it?”

Brad sat down at his piano and raised an eyebrow as if to say, Are you serious? I know it all.

“Of course you do. Stupid question.” Brad smiled at Kurt.

 “Here you go, honey,” Kurt said, handing his phone with the lyrics loaded to Blaine.

“Does Brad ever talk?” whispered Blaine into Kurt’s ear.

“Nah, he doesn’t, but he doesn’t need to. Just don’t call him furniture like Santana did. He’s always here, but he’s way more valuable than furniture.”

Brad heard what Kurt said and gave him a thumbs up. Then he began to play the opening notes to _Anthem_. Normally the song was played with a full orchestra, but it was amazing, and somehow more beautiful, with just the piano.

Blaine waited for his cue nervously. Sure, this was just rehearsal, but he was way out of his comfort zone on this one. Katy Perry, P!nk, and Maroon 5 were one thing, this was quite another. Kurt sensed his apprehension and reached out a hand, which Blaine grabbed eagerly. As he took a deep breath, his entrance arrived.

 _No man, no madness  
Though their sad power may prevail  
Can possess, conquer, my country's heart  
They rise to fail  
She is eternal  
Long before nations' lines were drawn  
When no flags flew, when no armies stood  
My land was born_  
  
At this point, the rest of the New Directions had begun to quiet down and listen. They knew Blaine had a rare talent, but this was far more than they had expected. Kurt noticed Rachel standing with her mouth hanging open. He laughed to himself, noting her jaw had practically hit the floor. Not wanting to let go of Blaine’s hand, he crooked his finger at her, beckoning her to come to him. When she did, he pushed her mouth shut and dabbed the corners of her lips with a tissue with a huge smirk.  
  
 _And you ask me why I love her  
Through wars, death and despair  
She is the constant, we who don't care  
And you wonder will I leave her - but how?  
I cross over borders but I'm still there now  
  
How can I leave her?  
Where would I start?  
Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart  
My land's only borders lie around my heart_

There was a long silence after the song ended. Kurt turned to face the group.

“YO MOMMA.”

There was another short pause, and then Lauren and Puck burst out laughing. Leave it to Kurt to break the silence with facetious humor. Mr. Schuester started applauding wildly and quickly the rest of the kids joined in. Kurt’s smile stretched from ear to ear as he beamed at his boyfriend. _Yep, ladies and gentlemen, this one belongs to me. Isn’t he amazing?_

“Fuck, I flatted the high note.”

“Oh stop it, you did not. It was absolutely perfect,” soothed Kurt.

Mr. Schuester called the others down and asked, “Do you all think you can learn that little chorus part near the end of the song?”

The others nodded and said yes, that part would be no sweat. Blaine looked confused. “Why do we need to learn that part?”

“Not ‘we,’ Blaine – they. You have lead on that, obviously. The sectionals competition brackets were set over the summer. I have received word that we will be competing against Dalton again. With your permission, Blaine, I’d love to show them what can happen when their canaries are set free from their cages and allowed to fly.”

“They’re still my friends, Mr. Schuester. I don’t want to be rubbing anything in their faces.”

“Oh you won’t be, Blaine,” Mr. Schue assured him. “All we will be doing is showing off your range and opening their eyes a bit.”

“C’mon Blaine, it’ll be fun! Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall of the senior commons at Dalton when Wes gets wind of who their competition is?”

“I have to admit, the mental picture of that amuses me,” smiled Blaine. “I bet he and his precious gavel will go off into a corner together and cry.”

Blaine pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his friend Jeff at Dalton.

**_Jeff – did Wes find out the competition for Sectionals yet? – Blaine_ **

**_Blaine – not yet. He’s waiting for Warblers practice tonight to open the envelope – Jeff_ **

**_Jeff – take video. Trust me. – Blaine_ **

**_Blaine – ooooookkkkkaaaaay. – Jeff_ **

“I told Jeff to take some video at Warblers rehearsal this afternoon. He was skeptical, but he’ll do it.”

“I can’t WAIT. This should be epic,” said Kurt excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The version of Anthem I'm thinking of is the Josh Groban version of it from Chess: In Concert.


	18. Chapter 18

\--*bang bang bang*--

Wes struck the table with his gavel three times and said, “Gentleman, your attention please. I now call this meeting of The Warblers to order. With this being a brand new school year, we have lots of new business to discuss, but first of all, I have in my hand the announcement from the Ohio State Show Choir Board of the competition bracket for Sectionals. We are up against the West High School Ensemble from Columbus and…what the actual fuck…”

The Warblers were shocked. Never had Wes said anything resembling a swear word. He was always calm, cool, and collected, and this was definitely NOT classic Wes.

“Um Wes?” asked David. “Are you okay?”

Wes shook his head. “The other school we are up against is, wait for it, the McKinley High New Directions from Lima.”

A collective gasp could be heard from the room.

“The group that beat us at Regionals last year?” asked Thad.

“Yep,” said Wes.

“The one with the powerhouse brunette and the divalicious African American woman who can wail a helluva high note?” asked David.

“Yes sir,” said Wes.

“The group that Kurt came from and subsequently returned to?” asked Nick.

“Mmm-hmmm,” said Wes.

“The one that Blaine left us for?” asked Trent.

“The very same,” said Wes.

“Well, we’re screwed,” Jeff sighed.

“Gentleman, I have suddenly remembered somewhere I need to be this afternoon. Meeting adjourned.” He banged the gavel and hurried out of the room. Jeff followed closely behind him with his camera, but not so closely that Wes would detect him. Not that Wes was paying any attention, anyway. He was very much in a hurry to get to wherever it was he was going. Jeff followed him to a quiet corner of the outdoor commons where there was a bench and a flower garden. He hid behind a tree while continuing to film Wes without his knowledge. __

Wes sat down on the bench and cradled his face in his hands. Jeff continued to record for a little while longer, but as soon as he heard a sob coming from the boy on the bench, he turned off the camera. No self-respecting guy wanted to be caught crying. Jeff quietly sneaked out of the garden and went to his room, leaving Wes alone with his emotions.

**xXxXxXx**

Blaine and Kurt left McKinley and went to Blaine’s new place.

“Wow, this is amazing! It’s really beautiful here. You never really did get a chance to tell me how you came across this little gem.”

“Well, Pastor James helped me find it. There is an older woman in her 60s in his congregation who was widowed recently and happens to have this beautiful property. This is the guest house. Fully furnished and everything. In return for greatly reduced rent and access to her utilities, I will pay her $100 a month and take care of the lawn, doing her grocery shopping, and any minor repairs she should need.”

“I don’t think you could have possibly stumbled across a better situation for yourself, sweetie. Almost seems like divine intervention, if I actually believed in that kind of thing. I do believe your luck finally had to change sometime, and it looks like it did. Big time!” Kurt grinned.

“So….” he continued. “Are you allowed to have visitors in this place?”

Blaine smirked. “What makes you think I plan on entertaining any visitors?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Oh please,  give me a little credit. I know you enough to know that you were singing ‘When I Get You Alone’ in your head and thinking of me when you got this place. You are far too horny all the time to not have ulterior motives.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“Like Saran Wrap, baby.”

“Oh God,” Blaine moaned. “Do NOT give me any more ideas.”

Kurt flashed him his most innocent smile. Blaine wished he would flash something else.

“ANYWAY…yes, I’m allowed to have visitors. My new landlady was more concerned about whether or not I planned on having loud parties with lots of alcohol. We already know my thoughts on alcohol, and I don’t really have enough space here for a good party. I’d rather have this stay my safe haven. Well, our safe haven, as I’d like you to feel welcome to be here as much as you’d like,” he said as he slipped an arm around Kurt’s waist and gave him a squeeze.

“Does she know about us?”

“Yes, she does. Pastor James encouraged me to be an open book to her about my situation, which I thought was a good idea since I didn’t want to be tossed out as quickly as I had been welcomed in. She has no problem with me having you over whenever I want for however long I want since I’m 18 and legal, but she doesn’t want you actually living here unless we discuss it with her first. Not like I’m asking you to move in. I mean I’d love it if we were together all the time, but I know you’re still 17 and your dad would freak and we’re not ready for that and…”

“Calm down Blaine, I get it. Really. All you had to say was, I can’t be here on a permanent basis unless we have her approval. Gosh you’re cute when you ramble.” Kurt giggled.

Blaine grinned. “You’re pretty adorable yourself. She does want to meet you, though. Not only to satisfy her curiosity, but also to just get to know anyone who plans on spending a large amount of time on her property.”

“Okay. We’ll go see her as soon as I get a real good look at this place and decide how I’m going to decorate it for you. I’m thinking we’ll go with blues and browns for a color scheme. Very trendy, but very classic at the same time. And nice and masculine just for you.”

“Kurt?”

“Yes honey?”

“I couldn’t care less about the décor right now. We are alone. And since only you, Pastor James, and my landlady know where I live, I really doubt there will be any interruptions. Please. I need you.”

Kurt waited a moment to face Blaine. He had decided before he came to Blaine’s house that he could really only afford to stay for about an hour. It may have been the first day of school, but teachers had already assigned homework, and due to the early Glee club meeting, it had been quite a long day. “Blaine, we really shouldn’t do this right now…” he tried to say, but as he faced Blaine, he found himself wondering why he was protesting. Blaine had on his seductive face – the face that immediately turned Kurt’s legs to jelly and his resolve to nil. Suddenly he wasn’t able to think of anything but the sexy man standing in front of him.

“Come onnnnnnn, Kurt,” Blaine drawled. He placed feather-light kisses up and down Kurt’s neck and Kurt shuddered. “You don’t really WANT to stop, do you?” he asked as he gently kissed the corners of Kurt’s mouth. “You are getting SO turned on, aren’t you?”

“Ungh,” Kurt groaned. Blaine was right – he was turned on beyond belief. But something was nagging him at the back of his brain.

“Blaine I can’t,” he sighed.

“Why not, baby? Don’t you want me?”

“God no. That’s not it at all. Don’t even let your curly little head go there, Blaine. But, remember when I had something I wanted to talk about at lunch time? I think we need to talk before we do anything here that could potentially get a little carried away.”

“Kuuuuurrrrrrt, do we really have to have a discussion NOW?” Blaine whined loudly.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “You know, you were agreeable to us talking this afternoon at lunchtime. I COULD just pick up my stuff and leave right now without having said discussion and just be pissed off at you for not taking me seriously, or you could grow up and talk with me now, and MAYBE there might be enough time for a little of what you want. It’s up to you.”

“Okay, okay, okay. I’ll act like an adult, we’ll talk, and then I can touch you?”

“We’ll see.”

“Okay, then,” said Blaine as he sat down on the couch. He patted the seat next to him. “Take a load off, baby, and let’s talk.”

Kurt took a deep breath. “This may be totally irrational, but the thought of you having your own place scares me.”

“Why is that?”

“Because now that we have this place where we can be totally alone any time we want, I’m afraid that we’re going to go faster with our physical relationship than I think we should go.”

“It doesn’t sound like you trust me very much, Kurt.” Blaine huffed defensively.

“No, it’s me I don’t trust. Everything I feel with you is still so overwhelming and it feels amazing and I want more and I’m so attracted to you that my dick is like a divining rod searching for you every time I’m around you and I’m terrified that we’ll go too far too fast and we’ll resent each other and then I’ll lose you and I just CAN’T LOSE YOU and – “ Kurt was working himself up into near hysterics.

“Kurt, Kurt, Kurt, slow down. I know you. Honestly, I don’t think anyone, even yourself, will ever be able to convince yourself to do anything you don’t think you should be doing, regardless of hormones. Can I ask you something, though? Would it really be such a horrible thing if we lost a little control together? Please tell me you know I wouldn’t hurt you in any way.” Blaine pleaded.

“I know, but…”

“No buts, Kurt. I need you to let go. Go with the flow. Let yourself live a little. I know us. Everything is going to happen at the pace it should and it’s going to be epic because it’s us.”

Kurt looked up at Blaine. “You really think so?”

“I KNOW so. I think it will hurt us more to try to hold back than it will to let our relationship naturally progress. We know what’s right and what’s wrong and we have the ability to communicate with each other and voice our concerns. We will be FINE. Please believe me.”

“I do, Blaine. I really do. Though I will feel better yet if we’re careful to split up our time between your place and mine, and between friend time and family time and alone time. I don’t want us to get caught up in our alone time and ignore other things that are important to us either. Our relationship needs to be well rounded in order to work – it can’t all be physical. Oh, and speaking of family time, your presence is hereby requested at the Hummel-Hudson abode every Friday night for our weekly family dinner. It was something that got started by my mother and it’s kind of a sacred thing now.”

“Ahhh,” Blaine nodded, “so that’s why you always drove out of Dalton like a bat out of hell on Fridays.”

“Yeah, the last time I blew off a Friday night dinner, my dad had a heart attack and was comatose for days. I know it wasn’t my fault, but I will never, ever skip out on my family like that again.”Kurt explained.

“Well, I will be honored to join you all on Friday nights. It’s not like I’ll have anywhere else to be.”

Kurt’s heart fell. “I’m sorry honey. I forgot for a moment that your father is being an asshole.”

“Not being, Kurt. Is. And I refuse to let that kind of negativity in my life. I’m filling my life and my heart with the positive, and that’s you, your family, and your friends. Things are good now. Really good. Don’t worry about my parents, okay?”

“Okay,” Kurt grinned.

“Got what you needed to talk about off your chest?”

“Yes sir!”

Blaine scooted up closer to Kurt. “You promised me that after we talked we’d see if there was a little bit of extra time for what I wanted. Is there extra time, Kurt?” Blaine breathed in his ear.

Sparks of anticipation shot through Kurt’s body. All of a sudden, his mouth went dry. “Y-yes, I think I have a f-f-few m-minutes,” he stuttered.

Blaine smirked. “Excellent, babe. C’mere,” he said as he pulled Kurt across his lap to straddle him.

“Unghh,” Kurt groaned as the moment caused his crotch to rub against Blaine’s. He was so turned on and it was quite obvious that Blaine was too.

“Holy shit, Kurt. You are so hard,” Blaine whispered. He brought his lips to Kurt’s and immediately began kissing him as if his life depended on it. Kurt responded immediately. Blaine’s tongue begged Kurt’s mouth for entrance and it was granted. Their tongues tangled for a few delicious moments before they had to break apart for air. Kurt buried his head in the crook of Blaine’s shoulder as he gasped to catch his breath. Blaine took the opportunity to sneak his hand in between their bodies and squeeze Kurt gently. Kurt squeaked and jumped, but he let Blaine continue and responded by diving into another hot, wet kiss.

Suddenly Blaine felt a vibration. “Oh God, Kurt,” he groaned. “I know you’re so hot you’re practically vibrating, but I don’t think that was you.”

“Whoever that is must have a death wish,” Kurt whined. He pulled away from Blaine and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. It was a text from Finn.

**_K – Burt looking 4 u 4 dinner. Where r u? – F_ **

_Finn – I’m at Blaine’s place. I will be home soon. Don’t wait on me. – Kurt_

**_K – Burt wont let that fly, u no that. Hry or I cant eat. – F_ **

_Finn – ugh, fine, I’m on my way. – Kurt_

“Kurt, baby, PLEASE don’t tell me that was anyone important,” begged Blaine. “We are so far from finished here.”

“I’m so sorry. My dad’s looking for me. I have to go,” Kurt grumbled, very much NOT impressed that his father had to choose today to want him home for dinner.

“Do you have to leave right away?”

“Yeah, I probably should. Finn’s hungry and Dad’s making Carole hold dinner ‘til I get there. He’s really into family dinners lately, moreso than usual.”

Blaine looked down at Kurt’s groin and noticed his not-so-little problem. “You can’t go home like this.”

“I have to – I really gotta get home.”

“Honey, please, just let me take care of you. I can have you feeling amazing in five minutes. Surely you can spare five minutes for me?”

“Blaine, I – “

“Please?” He ran the tip of his nose up the side of Kurt’s neck.

“Ugh, Blaine, you’ve got to st – “

“Pleeeaaassse?” Blaine played the trump card – he sucked Kurt’s earlobe into his mouth.

“Yes! Oh, God, yes! Yes!” Kurt whimpered.

“Oh thank God,” said Blaine as he dragged Kurt off the couch to his bed.

“Whoa…bed? Blaine?”

“Relax, Kurt. I just need a little more room. I want to be right next to you and if you’re on the couch I will fall on the floor. Now scoot to the middle of the bed and lay down, babe,” Blaine directed. “And get rid of your shirt and pants.”

Kurt did so, and Blaine crawled right up next to him and curled up into his side. He bent his elbow and rested his head in his hand, leaving his right hand free. He slowly dragged just his fingertips up and down Kurt’s chest and he felt Kurt’s breath hitch. Encouraged, Blaine leaned over and kissed his chest gently. He quickly flicked his tongue across each of Kurt’s nipples – Kurt squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered.

“Oh, you like that do you, gorgeous? Well, I will file that little bit of information away for next time. If I’m remembering correctly, we’re on a bit of a time crunch, so I need to speed this up a bit.”

He continued to make his way down Kurt’s body until his hand arrived at the place where Kurt’s cock was straining against the fabric of his boxer briefs…

\--*knock knock knock*--

“Oh my God, you have to be fucking kidding me!” groaned Blaine. “It’s like that damn cockblocking red electric piano all over again!”

“The what?” Kurt panted.

“Never mind. SHIT. There’s only like three people who know I’m here. Pastor James, my landlady, and you. Since you’re here, and since the landlady will know that’s not Pastor James’ car in the drive, I’m going to guess it’s her. She probably figured out that it belongs to you and wanted to come over to meet you,” figured Blaine.

“Great!” Kurt threw his hands up in the air and began throwing on his clothes. “Just what I need. I’m sitting here half naked looking like I just got pawed all over by my boyfriend and now I’ve got to impress someone semi important to you?”

“Kurt, chill. She knows we’re together. She’s gotta figure that things happen.”

“Yeah, Blaine, but we don’t need to _confirm_ it for her!”

\--*knock knock knock*--

“I gotta get that.  You sit here for a few moments and compose yourself, and then I’ll introduce you. Deep breaths, smooth out your hair, and you’ll be fabulous. Okay?”

“Okay,” sighed Kurt. “But I think I really am glad I have to get out of here, ‘cause I can just greet her and run and leave YOU to deal with her.”

Blaine laughed. “She’s a sweet lady. It’ll be fine.” He made his way over to the door and opened it. “Oh hi, Mrs. Christopherson. I thought I heard a knocking on the door but I wasn’t quite sure. How are you?”

“I’m fine Blaine. I hope you are well also. I noticed a vehicle here that didn’t belong to you or Pastor James and I thought it might be your young man. I wanted to see what kind of boy would capture your heart,” she replied with a smile.

“You’re right, he is here. I’ll introduce you. Kurt? Can you come out here please?”

Kurt checked his hair one last time in the mirror over Blaine’s dresser. He pushed back that one piece of hair in front that always seemed to want to flop down over his eyes no matter what he did to it, scowled when it did the same thing as always, and went out into the main living area.

“Kurt, this is my landlady Mrs. Christopherson. Mrs. Christopherson, this is my boyfriend Kurt Hummel,” Blaine said proudly.

“My, he is adorable, isn’t he? You speak the truth!” she gushed.

“Oh my God, Blaine, you are so gay, aren’t you? You actually called me adorable to other people?”

“But you ARE!” Blaine squeaked.

“You BOTH are. I’m going to like having you boys around, I can tell,” Mrs. Christopherson decided. “I don’t know you, Kurt, but I can tell you’re a good boy. Come by any time. Even if Blaine isn’t around. You can keep me company.”

Kurt liked this woman and was happy that she was Blaine’s landlady and not some miserable tyrant. “I’ll be sure to do that, Mrs. Christopherson,” Kurt said. “However, since I’m already late getting home for dinner, I’ve gotta fly. Dad is probably wondering if he should send Finn out to find me. It was nice meeting you, Ma’am.” He turned to Blaine. “I will talk to you later, sweetie. Skype date at 9?”

“I’ll be there. Love you!”

“Love you too.” Kurt leaned in to kiss Blaine, but he stopped just before he made contact, remembering the mixed company he was in.

“Oh don’t stop on my account. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. My son and his partner have been together for years, and if he isn’t embarrassed to be snogging on his man in front of his mom, I don’t think you boys need to worry.”

Blaine grinned. “Pastor James didn’t tell me you had a son. Or that he is gay.”

“Not his story to tell, Blaine. But now you know why I’m accepting of you two.”

Kurt bounced over to Mrs. Christopherson and gave her a big hug. “Thank you so much! I’m really happy Blaine’s here.”

“I’m happy you’re BOTH here, Kurt!”

Kurt returned to Blaine’s side and gave him a hug and a big sloppy demonstrative kiss, purely for Mrs. Christopherson’s benefit. “Bye Mrs. C! Bye Blaine!” he called as he scooted out the door.

Mrs. Christopherson turned to Blaine and said, “You’ve got your hands full with that one, don’t you?”

“I sure do,” he grinned. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


	19. Chapter 19

Blaine fired up his laptop, and the first thing he did was log onto Skype so he’d be there as soon as Kurt arrived. Then he opened his email.

**_From: Jeff Sterling_ ** [ **_R5lynchmob@daltonacademy.edu_ ** ](mailto:R5lynchmob@daltonacademy.edu) **_  
To: Blaine Anderson-not-Warbler_ ** [ **_mckinleywarbler@gmail.com_ ** ](mailto:mckinleywarbler@gmail.com) **_  
Subject: sectionals_ **

_Blaine – here’s Wes’ reaction. Honestly, I really shouldn’t have recorded it. So you and Kurt watch, take from it what you will, and delete it. But we will never mention this again. Capice?_

_We miss you guys at Dalton. See you at Sectionals._

_\--Jeff_

Blaine forwarded the link to Kurt’s email so he could watch it, too. Blaine figured they could watch it together while they were on Skype and discuss.

Kurt rang through on Skype and soon his face was filling Blaine’s laptop screen.

“Hey gorgeous, how was dinner?” Blaine asked.

Kurt grimaced. “Well, the FOOD was fine, but the interrogations were not. I am NEVER going to be late for dinner AGAIN. Even though I TOLD them I met your landlady, they refused to believe that that could have anything to do with my lateness. So next time you get horny, make sure it doesn’t coincide with a dinner with my family.”

Blaine could do nothing but attempt not to laugh his ass off. And fail.

“Yeah, yeah, I see how it is. Next time I’m bringing you with me, and YOU can answer to my dad.”

“Ugh, totally not the conversation I’d like to have with a father about his son. I’ll pass.” Blaine shuddered just thinking of it.

“No you won’t,” Kurt said triumphantly. “YOU agreed to all Friday night dinners from now on. I’m sure you will suffer the Burt Hummel Inquisition sooner or later.”

Desperate to change the subject, Blaine said, “Aaaannnnnyway, Jeff sent me an email this evening. I forwarded on to you. Do you have it?”

Kurt could be seen clicking around on his laptop a bit. “Yep, there it is. Oh my goodness, Blaine Anderson-not-Warbler? Did you just change that?”

Blaine grinned. “Yep.”

“That’s hilarious. I still can’t believe they thought that was actually your name. I knew Brittany was spacey, but I kind of thought the others still lived on planet Earth,” Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Oh well, that’s what makes it fun to hang out with them. Never know what someone’s going to say. So anyway, let’s both click play and watch that video together.”

The video loaded up and they could see that Wes was very visibly upset over the news.

“Gosh, I knew the Warblers were important to him, but he looks like his grandma just died or something,” commented Blaine.

“I didn’t know he was capable of that kind of emotion. He’s usually so stoic.”

“Well shit. Now I feel kind of badly. Like we were intruding upon his little breakdown. I see now why Jeff thought he probably shouldn’t have done this.”

“Yeah, I agree. We should close this video and delete it.”

“Okay, we will. But….wait!” Blaine blurted out.

“What?”

“He ran off to cry. You owe me $10!” Blaine crowed.

“I owe you nothing. He didn’t have his gavel with him,” Kurt disagreed.

“You can buy my coffee next time we go out, then,” Blaine countered.

“I always buy your coffee. Besides, we really shouldn’t be betting on another man’s tears.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

Kurt beamed, “I always am.”

**xXxXxXx**

“So, ladies, I need your help. Blaine’s birthday was, quite frankly, shitty for him, and I’d like to make up for that by throwing him a birthday party.” Kurt, Rachel, and Mercedes were sitting on the bed with naughty snacks and musicals on DVD, in Rachel’s bedroom.

The “girls” night sleepovers had resumed not too long after Nationals, when Kurt finally forgave Rachel for being, well, RACHEL and decided he wanted them to be good friends again. He missed his girls, and he missed their time together. He was bummed about not being able to go out with Blaine tonight – Blaine had asked him on a movie date, but the sleepover had already been planned for a week, and he didn’t want to be known as the one who would bail on his best friends for his boyfriend. So Blaine asked Finn and a couple of other guys from Glee and they went to see some sort of action, shoot at everything that moves, flick. Kurt was definitely not missing much by hanging out with the girls.

“I’m in!” replied Rachel enthusiastically. “What did you have in mind?”

“That’s just it. I’m not quite sure. Obviously a wild party with alcohol is out. Though I’m pretty sure next time there is alcohol involved, Miss Rachel Berry won’t be trying to steal my man.”

“Oh come on, Kurt, that was so long ago and you guys weren’t even together then!”

“I’m just kidding, Rach, but I’ve gotta say, you knew exactly how I felt and you went for it anyway. Not cool, girlfriend.”

“Yeah, I know.” She admitted, “I’m sorry. I have learned, I promise. There’s just not all that many guys willing to hang out with the likes of us that I tend to glom onto the ones that are!”

“I hear that!” both Kurt and Mercedes said in unison.

“Anyway,” Mercedes continued. “What are we going to do? Do you want someone’s house, a restaurant, other?”

“Well, probably not my house. Blaine and I hang out there a lot lately and he’ll get suspicious if all of a sudden we can’t go over there.”

“Who’s coming?”

“Well, the Glee club, for sure. And I was considering inviting the Warblers, though I don’t know for sure how many would be able to show up.”

“All right, and when should we have it?”

“Well, it’s Friday night now. It’s definitely too late to have it still this weekend, but next weekend?”

“Okay, well, it still should be fairly warm out next weekend – you wanna maybe just do a cookout in my backyard?” Mercedes offered. “It’s pretty big and we’re a little bit secluded from other people so we shouldn’t bother anyone. We can crank up the firepit and roast marshmallows and just chill.”

“Actually, that sounds pretty good. We haven’t done a whole lot of just hanging out lately. Blaine hasn’t been back for very long, and I know I’ve been pretty uptight because of it. It would be nice to just be together, relax, and have a good time. Thanks Mercedes, I really like that idea.”

A big smile stretched across Rachel’s face. “I just got the BEST idea! Can I be in charge of getting Blaine’s cake? PLEASE?”

“You’re not going to make it, are you? I know how you and your dads are about making food – you don’t.”

“Oh no, I know someone who makes cakes professionally – I’d be calling in a favor. I promise it’ll be tasteful. Please?” she pouted and made puppy-dog eyes for effect.

“What kind of cake, Rachel?” huffed Kurt, losing the battle.

“Oh, I want it to be a surprise for you, too! You’ll love it, I promise. If you want, I’ll even tell Mercedes if it’ll make you feel better. But I just know you’ll love it. Please? It’ll be my birthday present to Blaine.”

“Well, I guess so. But definitely go ahead and tell Mercedes. I trust her to rein you in in case things get out of hand.”

Rachel bounced up and down on the bed. “Thank you Kurt! I am so excited! I promise I won’t let you down.”

Kurt raised his eyebrows at Mercedes, and she responded with a quick, subtle nod. He could always trust Mercedes. She had his back.

They quickly settled the rest of the details. Kurt would keep Blaine busy after school up until dinner time next Friday night. The New Directions girls would take care of the grocery shopping and non-grilling food prep, and the guys would take care of grilling. Surely at least one of them had to be able to cook a hot dog over charcoal. Kurt hoped. Maybe they better plan on a fire extinguisher and a pizza fund just in case.

Kurt sent a mass text out to the Warblers, taking an extra moment to be certain Blaine was no longer on the group distribution list. He wasn’t a Warbler anymore anyway, so it was time.

**_All – SURPRISE birthday party for Blaine, 1027 Sycamore, Lima. Next Friday night, 6pm. Please RSVP so we can plan food. – Kurt_ **

He sent a nearly identical text out to all the New Directions members – he just changed the address to say merely, Mercedes’ house, since everyone already knew where she lived.

Kurt’s phone began to blow up with messages. Soon almost everyone had responded, and it had only been 10 minutes. _Good grief,_ Kurt thought _. We really ARE all addicted to our phones, aren’t we?_

“Looks like pretty much everyone can come. Sam needs to be sure his brother and sister don’t need a sitter, and he’ll need a ride over, but otherwise he’s up for it.”

“Oh, I’ll work it out with him!” Mercedes was quick to say. Rachel was oblivious to her reaction, but Kurt raised an eyebrow. He thought back to that day in the coffee shop when he and Blaine ran into her and Sam. _Ran into each other in the parking lot, my ass._ Mercedes pasted an innocent look on her face. Kurt knew that meant, Don’t even start with me, but he was going to figure out the truth. Eventually. After this party for Blaine, anyway.

“So anyway, looks like we’re going to be feeding about 30 people. Good thing I have some money set aside,” Kurt said. He hoped this wouldn’t be too expensive. He still had to pay his emergency credit card bill – he had found the perfect gift for Blaine while in New York and he had had to buy it.

Rachel thought about it for a moment and said, “Maybe people could contribute to the costs in lieu of a gift?”

“Isn’t that kind of tacky to ask?” Kurt wondered.

“Well, maybe, but we’re teenagers. Do we worry much about tacky? We don’t exactly sit and think about what Emily Post or Martha Stewart would do,” reasoned Mercedes. “I think it would be okay.”

“Okay, let me send out another text.” Kurt whipped out his phone and started flying across the keys. There were times when he was grateful he had sprung for the phone with the slide out keyboard, and this was definitely one of those times.

**_All – it has been suggested that in lieu of gifts, you guys could contribute to party costs. This is 100% OPTIONAL but would be appreciated. However, may I ask that you DO bring birthday cards? Blaine would love them. Thanks! – Kurt_ **

Again, he immediately got texts, most saying some variation of sure, no problem, etc.

“It’s a go. We’ve got an idea, we’ve got a place, and we’ve got funding! Let’s get this thing all figured out.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

“But Kuuuurrrrrt, why can’t we go back to MY place tonight? We haven’t been alone together in a lonnnng time….” Blaine whined.

“Patience young grasshopper. Good things come to those who wait. And all that jazz.” Kurt grinned.

“But I don’t wanna wait. I wanna make out with my sexy boyfriend,” Blaine said as he pulled Kurt’s face towards his and gave him a deep toe-curling kiss.

_Omigod, what was I supposed to be doing again? Oh right, party._ “Blaine, honey, we’ve gotta go somewhere first. I have plans. But after we’re done I promise you will have my undivided attention.”

“Dammit, why can’t we ever do what I want?” Blaine pouted.

“We do what you want plenty. You’re just usually not quite this horny when you’ve wanted something lately.”

“Exactly. All the more reason for us to stay here. All by ourselves.”

“Blaine, PLEASE. Please trust me, okay?” Kurt pleaded.

“Ugh, FINE. Where are we going?” Blaine grumbled.

“You’ll see when we get there. If you don’t like it, I promise we’ll turn around and come back here, but give it a chance.”

Blaine sighed heavily but didn’t say anything. _Boy is HE in a mood today. Hopefully this party will loosen him up a bit._

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the Jones’ home.

“Kurt, why are we at Mercedes’ house? I thought you said this was going to be good.”

Kurt had had enough. “For one thing, BLAINE, I am offended. Since when is Mercedes not ‘something good’? She is my best friend and she has been very good to me. AND to YOU, for that matter. And for another thing, you promised me you’d trust me. I worked hard on this and your attitude is just ruining EVERYTHING,” he sniffled, holding back the tears.

“Oh God, Kurt, please don’t cry. It kills me when you cry. I’m so sorry. You’re right. I promised, and I’m being an ass.”

“ _Damn right you are_ ,” Kurt muttered.

Blaine walked up behind Kurt and wrapped his arms around him. He rested his chin on Kurt’s shoulder and said, “I’m sorry baby, please forgive me?”

“Mmmm maybe. I may require a bit of additional groveling later.”

“Oooh, me down on my knees in front of you. THERE’S an idea….”

“Blaine!” Kurt scolded as he playfully slapped Blaine away from him.

\--*buzz buzz*--

Kurt received a text. He opened his phone and it was Mercedes. **_Hurry up and get back here. The sexual tension has preceded you and Puckerman is starting to look up skirts again._**

“Okay, honey, back this way. Close your eyes?” Kurt instructed.

“What if I fall?”

“I will never let you fall, Blaine.”

Blaine sensed that there was so much more in those words than their meaning on the surface, and he smiled. “I am so lucky to have you.”

“You sure are. And you’ll be luckier in just a moment. Close your eyes and hang onto me.”

“Ooh, I like this already. Do I get to choose where I hang on?”

Kurt giggled, “Are we gonna do this or not, you pervert?”

“All right, all right. Let’s go.”

With minimal stumbles, Kurt and Blaine made it to Mercedes’ backyard. Kurt grinned big at the sight of all his friends and gave a big thumbs up.

**“SURPRISE!!!!”** everyone yelled.

Blaine’s eyes shot open. He took in the crowd of people before him and the decorations and the pile of presents that appeared even though most people contributed to the cost of the party as well.

“Honey, say something. Or at least close your mouth – it’s hanging wide open and there are bugs back here,” Kurt murmured.

“Oh my god,” Blaine breathed.

“Is everything okay?” Rachel asked worriedly. “Is it too much? Oh God, it’s too much. Kurt, we went overboard,” she flitted around frantically.

“No, Rachel! Not too much. It’s just that…” Blaine reassured her, “my father never allowed me any parties when I was growing up. It should have been one of the earliest indications of his opinions, now that I think about it. He told me that parties were too gay. And I couldn’t even have a friend sleep over for my birthday because my father said that sleepovers were only for girls. So this is great, guys, really. And Kurt, I know it was you – thanks for remembering to invite the guys, too!”

“So you like it?”

“I LOVE it. But I love you more. Thank you. And for the record, I feel like even more of an ass for acting like I did earlier.”

“It’s okay, baby. You’ll make it up to me later,” Kurt winked. “Now go, say hi to the Warblers. I know it’s been awhile since you’ve seen them.”

Kurt took in the backyard as Blaine went off to greet his friends. The girls had really outdone themselves. There were strings of lights and Chinese lanterns strung throughout the trees, and where there weren’t lights, there were music notes, gold stars (courtesy of Rachel Berry, of course), and…. what was that? Scarves? Seriously? Then he remembered what he and Blaine were wearing – light jackets and, you guessed it, their fall scarves. _Well, we ARE gay_ …

“Who’s hungry??” Finn yelled. Surprisingly, unbeknownst to even Kurt, Finn ended up being the grillmaster this evening. When Kurt commented on it, he said, “Hey, I grew up with a single mom. I learned to do a lot of things to help out, and grilling was one of them. I can grill a burger, but I can’t cook a darn thing in a pot or pan, so it works.”

And it did work. The food was delicious. The girls had bought the usual coleslaw, potato salad, chips, baked beans, and all sorts of other typical cookout sides. It was perfect.

After everyone had had a chance to let their food digest, Rachel yelled out, “Who’s ready for some CAKE??” Everyone else yelled out, “MEEEEE!” Blaine was loudest of all – he had a HUGE sweet tooth.

“On three – one, two three!”

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Blaine Anderson-not-Warbler, happy birthday to you!”

Kurt giggled. He had sung dear honey rather than Blaine’s name, but the others must have coordinated on the name. Blaine gave them a fake grimace for all of about two seconds before a huge grin crept across his face. He loved every moment.

While they were singing, Rachel had brought out the cake she had had made. As soon as Kurt saw it, he busted out laughing. Hard. “Oh man, Rachel, that’s perfect! I love it!” he said through his laughter.

It was a giant cake made in the shape of Blaine’s favorite hot pink sunglasses. He had officially known everyone present long enough for them all to know that his sunglasses were very nearly another appendage to him. He didn’t go ANYWHERE without them. Blaine took one look at the cake and whipped out his trusty pair of glasses and put them on with a grin, even though it was starting to get dark out. Everyone cheered and applauded.

Kurt came up behind Blaine and gave him a big hug. “Happy belated birthday, sweetie. I thought you might need this.”

Blaine turned around and gave Kurt a huge bear hug in return. “You’re wonderful. Seriously. You’re so in tune with me. I don’t know how you knew how much I needed this, but it must be a sixth sense. Thank you. Really, Kurt.”

“You’re welcome, baby.”

They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment. Blaine tilted his head and connected his lips with Kurt’s, gently at first, and quickly the kiss became more needy. Blaine began to lick and nip at Kurt’s lips until –

“AHEM. As much as we’d like a free show, there’s cake to eat here,” said Lauren.

“It looks amazing, Rachel. You did an excellent job choosing the cake. I’m glad I trusted you with it,” Kurt shared with Rachel quietly.

“Thanks Kurt, your trust means a lot.”

Lauren and Quinn had already begun to slice and serve the cake, and the first piece with Blaine’s name on it – literally – was presented to him. “Mmmm red velvet cake, I’m in LOVE,” he swooned.

Kurt decided to take that moment and teach Blaine a little lesson for being impatient earlier. He took Blaine by surprise and smooshed his own plate of cake right in his face. He then proceeded to lick the crumbs and frosting off Blaine’s lips.

“Kurt! What the hell?”

“Serves you right for being an ass earlier.”

“I’ll show you ass. You’ll see my ass, leaving, as soon as I do this and RUN!” he yelled as he shoved the remnants of his ruined piece of cake in Kurt’s face and took off across the back yard.

“It is ON, Anderson! You better hope I don’t catch you!”

Kurt and Blaine made a few circles around the back yard, weaving in and out of their friends, narrowly missing tables and even the fire pit once, until finally Kurt caught up with Blaine and tackled him. They landed with Blaine on his back and Kurt on top of him. Their groins landed on each other just so.

“Oof,” they both grunted. “Oh fuck, Kurt,” Blaine whispered. “I need you on top of me like this as soon as this party’s over, baby. Please. If you’re as in tune with my needs as you say you are, you should know how badly I need you. And even if not, you should be able to feel it. I know I can feel you. I know you need me, too.”

“SHUT UP, Blaine. You can’t keep talking like this or we’ll never be able to face our friends.”

“Okay, okay. Roadkill, granny panties, parents having sex….any of that helping?”

“Yes, thank God.”

“Oh, and by the way, Kurt? I saw your blush right before you started cracking up at my cake. Don’t think I didn’t notice the disappearance of a certain pink shades embellished garment from my underwear drawer. Is that what you were thinking about when you saw it? They’re my favorites – I KNOW when they’re missing. But don’t worry, Kurt, you can keep them. Just let me know if you want me to wear them for you sometime first.”

“Holy shit,” Kurt breathed. Blaine rolled Kurt off him and stood up, brushing the grass off him as he did so.

“I think I’ll try again with that cake – I barely got a taste of my last piece,” he announced.

Kurt stayed on the ground on his stomach for a few more minutes before he got to his feet. _Advantage: Anderson._

After everyone gave up on the cake, Blaine sat down to open his gifts. He opened up a bunch of iTunes gift cards, Target gift cards, and even a spare pair of pink sunglasses. Sam handed over his gift. “I feel kind of dumb giving this to you, but as you know, I don’t have a whole lot to give. But Quinn brought over a box of art supplies and my brother and sister made you some artwork for your new place and framed them for you.”

The pictures were your typical crayon drawings in popsicle stick frames decorated with macaroni, but they were adorable. “Actually, this is great, Sam. I have nothing on my walls, and they’re custom made just for me, so of course I’ll like them. Thank you, and please give your brother and sister hugs and kisses for me.”

After all the gifts on the table were opened, Kurt said to Blaine, “Walk with me for a moment?” The boys walked around to the front of Mercedes’ house and sat down in the cool grass. “So, you might have noticed you haven’t opened a gift from me yet…”

“You got me a present, Kurt? I thought the party was your gift. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Actually, everyone chipped in for the party. We wanted to make sure money wasn’t an issue so we could throw you a great party. But that’s not the point. There was no way I wasn’t getting you a gift.”

Kurt scooted right up next to Blaine so their sides were touching and they each wrapped an arm around the other’s waist. Kurt laid his head on Blaine’s shoulder.

“As soon as we got to New York, we passed some shops, and in one of the windows, I saw the perfect gift for you. So many things with hearts on them are made for women, and they look it. A designer named Kris van Assche wanted to make it cool for men to wear heart jewelry too. I found one of his pieces, and I absolutely had to have it for you.”

He handed Blaine a small velvet covered box. “I know that you know you already have my heart – “

“And you have mine, Kurt,” Blaine broke in.

“I know. Thank you, love. But anyway, I just wanted you to have a physical token of my love, so that you could carry my heart around with you always.”

“Kurt, I’m touched – “ Blaine started, but Kurt was the one to interrupt this time.

“Please Blaine, just open it.”

Blaine gently opened the hinged box, and inside there was a beautiful blue enamel pendant on a sturdy gold cable link chain. The details on the heart were gold, also, and written on the pendant in script were the words, Para Siempre.

“Para Siempre,” Blaine said with a perfect Italian accent. “That means…”

“ _Forever_ ,” they whispered in unison.

Blaine opened his mouth to speak but found himself speechless. After trying twice more and still not managing to get the words out, he faced Kurt. He put his hands on either side of Kurt’s face and gently drew him toward him. Their lips pressed together gently. This wasn’t a time for heat or lust or passion – this kiss was for pure, unadulterated love, and had they not already been sitting on the ground, it would have brought them to their knees. Kurt gently wiped a tear from Blaine’s cheek with the tip of his thumb, and said, ”It may not be my birthday, but you are the best gift I’ve ever received. May I continue to be worthy of your love.”

“I wish I was as good with words as you are Kurt, and tonight especially, I’m just not able to express myself as I’m too overwhelmed with emotion. Would it be considered a cop out if I just said, Ditto?”

Kurt snorted. “Cop out, yes, but it’s so totally you that I’ll take it. I love you, Blaine Anderson.”

“And I love you too, Kurt Hummel.”

Kurt placed the necklace around Blaine’s neck but tucked it into his shirt.

“Why’d you do that? I want everyone to see it.”

“Well, honestly, if we leave it out, Puck’s going to see it and make some sort of Titanic reference. He’ll probably run around the back yard yelling I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD or something.”

“I don’t mind chancing it, baby. I don’t hide myself or my relationship with you, and I don’t plan on hiding the fact that I am the single authorized owner of Kurt Hummel’s heart, either. We’ll just see what they say. We can take it.”

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

They got up and walked arm in arm back to the party, where most of the guys were toasting marshmallows over the fire pit and making s’mores. Jeff, Nick, and Finn were having a contest to see how many marshmallows (unfired, of course) they could shove in their mouths at once, and Mike and Tina were sneaking as much chocolate as they thought they could get away with.

Mercedes caught their eyes and smiled. Kurt and Blaine smiled even bigger back. She was thrilled to see them so happy.

Out of pretty much nowhere, Puck ran past them and yelled in a high pitched voice, “I’LL NEVER LET YOU GO, JACK! I’LL NEVER LET YOU… oh shit, I let you go. Sorry ‘bout that, my bad.”

Kurt snorted. “I TOLD you, Blaine! Our friends are WEIRD.”

“Yeah, but you love them. They’re good people.”

“Yeah, I really do.”

They looked around the yard to see what they could do to help speed along the cleanup. Neither one mentioned anything to the other, but both were very ready to leave and be alone together for awhile. To their surprise, all the gifts were consolidated into two gift bags, the trash had been collected, the soda cans had been recycled, and the cake leftovers had been boxed for Blaine to take home. About all that was left to do was take down the decorations.

“Mercedes, is there anything left we can do to help you clean up?”

“Oh no. We girls figured you guys would want to get going soon and we took care of it while you were out front. I plan on leaving the decorations up overnight and getting to them in the morning – it’s not supposed to rain, so they’ll be fine. Please, go ahead and head on out. I’m sure the party will be breaking up shortly anyway.”

Blaine made the rounds of the back yard and gave each girl a hug and each guy a fist bump, though Finn pulled Blaine into one of those one-armed man hugs. Blaine was really beginning to feel like he was family to Finn and not just a friend.

“Well, we’re out of here. Thank you SO much for a wonderful party. I can’t express to you all how much it means to me to have amazing friends like you all. Men?” he said, addressing the Warblers. “I will see you at Sectionals!”

They loaded Blaine’s gifts and cake into Kurt’s Navigator and began the drive back to Blaine’s place.

“Kurt, will you stay the night with me tonight?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurt's gift to Blaine:
> 
>   
> 


	21. Chapter 21

“Well, I haven’t exactly spoken to my dad yet about having overnights with you, but now’s as good of a time as any.” Kurt put his phone on Bluetooth and hit the speed dial for his father.

“Hi Dad, it’s just me.”

“Hey Kurt, how was the party?”

“It was perfect. Went off without a hitch. I wanted to ask you, Dad, if you’d be okay with me spending the night at Blaine’s tonight.”

The other end of the line grew quiet. Kurt heard a bit of shuffling around and he could hear Burt’s jaw cracking just slightly, meaning Burt was opening his mouth to speak, but not quite sure what to say.

“Okay, Dad, I know what you want to ask me. Here is a quick update. We are not THERE yet. We’re not really even halfway to THERE. When we do end up THERE, we will be careful, but honestly, the destination for tonight is not THERE. It might be a suburb of THERE, but we most definitely will not be venturing into downtown THERE tonight. Now, with that said, can I stay with Blaine tonight?”

After another long pause, Burt finally managed speech. “Um, yeah. Okay, I get it. I trust you, and you can stay. Thanks for calling, Kurt. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Burt then hung up abruptly.

“Oh man. I can imagine I’m blushing now, but from the way that conversation went, you ought to be able to fry an egg on his head. I don’t envy Carole tonight!” Kurt chuckled. Since he was starting to get a LITTLE more comfortable about being intimate with Blaine, it was a little easier to talk about it. And therefore, his father’s reactions were getting to be WAY more funny.

They arrived at Blaine’s house and unloaded the SUV. Blaine said to Kurt, “Just toss that stuff anywhere.” As soon as Kurt’s arms were free, he felt himself being yanked in Blaine’s direction and he was immediately pressed up flat against his sexy boyfriend. Blaine pulled him into a kiss – THIS was the kiss that was meant to be hot, wet, passionate, sultry. Everything that the previous kiss was not. Kurt felt both himself and Blaine harden very quickly. They would both be rock solid before long.

“Kurt, baby, tell me how far we can go tonight. I’ll take anything, but I need your body tonight. Please tell me what I can have.” Blaine panted.

“Tell me what you want, Blaine, and then I’ll tell you if you can have it.”

“Can I have you naked, Kurt? All the way? I want to finally see all of you, and I want to fall asleep tonight with your hot body pressed up against mine. Please?”

Kurt hesitated. He was really anxious about showing his body off to anyone, even Blaine. There probably wasn’t anything really wrong with it, it was just the overly self-conscious teenager sneaking through.

“It’s okay, baby. You don’t have to. I will take you any way I can get you, and if that means we’re cuddling fully clothed tonight then bring it on.”

“No, Blaine, I’m just thinking how I want to do this.” Kurt thought for a few more moments. “I want to do this in the dark. I want your other senses to get to know me fully before your eyes do.”

Blaine groaned. “You mean I get to touch you? Everywhere? Oh God, happy belated birthday to me.”

“You can see me in the morning light. When it’s dark outside, it’ll be dark in here. But when the sun comes up in the morning, we’ll let it in here as well.”

“Your trust means the world to me, Kurt. Really.” Blaine walked over to the switch and turned out the light. It wasn’t much, but there was just barely enough light left in the room to make their way to the bed without running into anything.

“May I help you take off your clothes?” Blaine said softy.

“Yes,” Kurt breathed almost inaudibly. It didn’t matter; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Blaine started by pulling Kurt to him and placing a gentle but meaningful kiss right on his lips. “I love you Kurt.”

“I love you too, Blaine.”

Blaine lifted Kurt’s plain t-shirt over his head. While Kurt was still the height of fashion at school, Blaine’s influence had been sneaking in some and he consented to dress more comfortably on the weekends. His jeans and t-shirts were still trendy, but they were far easier to care for and deal with. Blaine didn’t know how he would handle having to unfasten more than a few buttons or lots of buckles tonight. He was so filled with anticipation that the simple act of just pulling Kurt’s shirt off him had him shaking.

Kurt noticed this, and remarked, “You’re just as nervous as I am, aren’t you?”

“More, I think. I don’t want to do anything that will make you not want me to touch you, so I’m feeling the pressure to make this perfect for you.”

“It’s already perfect. It’s you.”

Blaine threw the shirt off to the side and pushed Kurt back on the bed. He made short work of removing Kurt’s jeans and his innocent yet extremely sexy plain black boxer briefs. He shucked off his own clothes and helped Kurt scoot over into the middle of the bed so there would be plenty of room.

Blaine placed a leg on either side of Kurt’s body and leaned over. He kissed Kurt’s face everywhere but on the lips, then ran the tip of his nose down Kurt’s neck, stopping to kiss and lick his collarbone.

“ _Ungh,_ ” Kurt called out quietly. Blaine smiled as he began to understand the effect he was having on him. He decided to step up his game just a bit.

“Are you liking what I’m doing, baby? Does it feel good? You are so hard for me, aren’t you? It’s such a turn on to know that I’m driving you crazy…”

 _“Oh my God oh my God oh my God, road kill, wrinkly old grannies, parents having sex….”_ Kurt mumbled to himself. Blaine smirked briefly before continuing on his journey of Kurt’s body. He loved knowing he had an effect on the positively edible boy below him.

Straightening up, Blaine let his fingers take over. He danced his fingers in feather-light patterns all over Kurt’s chest, every once in awhile brushing one of his nipples. Every time he did, Kurt’s body stiffened and he sharply inhaled. “Mmmmm, that drives you wild, doesn’t it? Filing away that information for future notice.”

Blaine readjusted his position so he was now sitting off to Kurt’s side. “Close your eyes, Kurt.”

“Why? It’s dark in here, and – “

“Just do it, Kurt. Our eyes have adjusted to make use of the little light that’s in here and I know you can sort of see me. I want you to close them.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Kurt obeyed and closed his eyes. Blaine leaned over and swirled his tongue around one of Kurt’s nipples, and then immediately sucked it into his mouth.

“Holy hell!” Kurt called out. He jumped so high at the sensation that he nearly launched himself off the bed.

Blaine grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “I found a good spot, didn’t I?”

“Blaine,” Kurt whimpered. “I don’t know how much longer I can take this. I feel like I’m on a hair trigger.”

Blaine leaned over Kurt to whisper in his ear. “Can I touch your cock baby? Can I touch your cock and make you come?”

“Y-yes!” Kurt squeaked. Blaine licked his earlobe and Kurt jerked around on the bed again, clearly enjoying the sensation.

Blaine dragged his fingertips down Kurt’s torso, just barely letting the nails scratch him. Kurt shivered and goosebumps appears all over his skin. “Ooh, you ARE on the edge. You’re gonna come for me almost right as soon as I touch you. I bet you could almost come just by me talking dirty to you, couldn’t you?”

“Ugh, I can’t take this, I can’t take this, please Blaine, I need you so bad!” Kurt practically screamed.

“That’s what I like to hear, baby.” He reached down to Kurt’s cock and gently took it in his hand. “Mmm, big boy. Is this all for me?”

“Blaine pleeeeeaaaase,” Kurt begged.

“Okay okay. God, you are leaking so much – that’s going to make this so much easier.” He firmly grasped his hand around the shaft and slowly began to stroke.

Feeling Blaine’s hand on him like that was enough to send white fire down into his groin. He was going to come, and it was going to be huge.

He was panting hard now. “Bl-Blaine, I’m right there, please just a little more, oh God, BLAINE!” he shouted as he came in streams across his stomach and chest. He felt like he would never stop, but finally he felt his body begin to come to rest.

“Damn, Kurt, that was fucking HOT. And you have the prettiest O-face I have ever seen, baby.” Blaine kissed Kurt quickly on the lips and went into the bathroom. He came out carrying a warm, damp washcloth and proceeded to cleaned Kurt up. “This is one of the funnest messes to make… and clean up,” he grinned cheekily.

Kurt was in a post-orgasmic haze. If he had known his own body could make him feel this good, he probably would have started touching himself a lot sooner. “Mmmm Blaine, I should take care of you, too. You take such good care of me,” he drawled sleepily.

“No sweetie, you go ahead and sleep. I’ll be all right.”

“NO. C’mere. I wan’ touch.”

“Scooch over, Kurt. If you stay awake long enough to touch me, we’re going to need more space.”

They resituated themselves in the middle of the bed and Blaine laid back against the pillows. Kurt draped his upper body across Blaine’s stomach. Kurt was getting so sleepy he was starting to get a bit silly. He danced his fingers around Blaine’s belly button while singing a non-sensical tune to himself. Then his fingers tickled their way down to Blaine’s groin. “Look kids,” Kurt mumbled. “It’s Blaine’s cockkkk,” placing extra emphasis on the K sound. “It must be windy out ‘cause it’s swaaayyyying in the breeze…”

Blaine could barely hold back the laughter. He was starting to realize that there was no way he was going to be able to get off at this point, especially since Kurt’s eyes had drifted shut and he was starting to doze. He began to pull Kurt off him and up toward the pillows, but the movement jostled him awake.

“Hmwa – whazzat? Oh lookie. It’s a lollipop. C’mere lollipop.” Kurt’s hand reached out and grabbed Blaine’s cock and he squealed in surprise. Kurt began mumbling, “Mmmm… I like lollipops.” He stuck his tongue out and quickly licked the head, and Blaine groaned. “Hmmm. Funny tasting lollipop. It tastes like….PENIS. Funny flavor for a lollipop. But thas okay. I’m gay. I LIKE penis flavored things.”

Blaine didn’t know whether to laugh so hard he puked or to moan like a hooker. Kurt was entertaining, but holy cow was his cock enjoying the attention.

“Sometimes they call lollipops SUCKERSSSSS. Maybe I should suck on this one,” he muttered. At that moment, he put the entire head in his mouth and gently sucked. Blaine screeched “Holy shit, Kurt!” and bucked his hips. Kurt gagged slightly, but kept sucking. He twirled his tongue around like a pro, even though he hadn’t done this before and wasn’t really even all that coherent.

“Oooh, balls. Bouncy!” Kurt grabbed Blaine’s balls and jiggled them with one hand while continuing to lick on his “lollipop.” _Oh God, this is the most fucked up thing I’ve ever been witness to. My boyfriend is clearly certifiably insane and funny as fucking HELL and here I am both horrified and ready to blow! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!_

“Kurt, Kurt, pull off. Come on, this is really weird. You shouldn’t be doing this when you’re drunk on exhaustion.” Kurt shook his head and refused to move. Blaine tried to physically remove Kurt’s face from his crotch, but Kurt… _growled._ “What the fuck was THAT?” Blaine said.

Kurt looked up. He began muttering, “ _Damn boyfriend doesn’t think I know what tha hell I’m doing. Jus’ ‘cause I’m a lil weird when I’m tired don’t mean I don’t know I wanna give ‘im a blowjob. I’m tired, not  drunk. Not stupid either. I’ll show his ass. His pretty, pretty ass…”_

 _All righty then,_ thought Blaine _. I’m gonna get in more trouble for stopping him than I will if I don’t._ Kurt put his lips on Blaine’s cock again, and he fluttered his lips up and down the sides. When Kurt finally took him in his mouth again, Blaine knew that this was going to be it – they were both going to let it happen. Kurt moved his mouth further down the shaft and then sucked hard as he was moving back, and that was too much for Blaine. “Shit, Kurt, coming!” He couldn’t pull out on his own because Kurt was mad and wasn’t letting him have any wiggle room, so Kurt got an unexpected mouthful. He had a funny look on his face, and then reached to the nightstand where Blaine had set the washcloth from the earlier cleanup and spat into it.

“Don’t like cream filled centers. Much rather have jelly filled centers. Night night, Blaine,” he said as he crawled up to the head of the bed, snuggled into Blaine’s side, and fell fast asleep before he could even pull the covers up.

**xXxXxXx**

**_All – Seriously, who spiked Kurt’s drinks? ‘Cause he is really fuckin’ weird right now, guys. REALLY. – Blaine_ **

B – Warblers didn’t do anything. We swear. Most of us got KP for a month after an incident a couple of years ago. We don’t do ANYTHING with booze anymore. – Wes

**Blaine – You would have noticed, the way you were sucking his face last night. If you didn’t smell booze, he didn’t have any. – Tina**

_B – Kurt’s usually really careful to get exactly 7 hours of sleep. No more, no less. You mess with that, you mess with his internal clock and he gets all wonky. Beware. – M_

**_Blaine – Kurt gets INSANE when he’s overtired. I’ve got recordings that would make the Royal Palace Guards crack. But don’t tell Kurt. They are just in case he ever gets dirt on me for something. – Finn_ **

_Jeez, there really IS such a thing as sleep deprivation insanity,_ Blaine decided. _This is important information._

**xXxXxXx**

“Holy mother of God, what is this taste in my mouth?”

Blaine was woken from a deep, warm cozy sleep by the mad dash Kurt made into the bathroom. “Blaine, do you have an extra toothbrush in here?”

“No, should I? I thought you would bring your own.”

“Well, my own is in my bag, which is in the car still. Forget it. I’ll just use yours.”

Normally Blaine wouldn’t care but the thought of day-old jizz flavor on his toothbrush wasn’t too attractive to him. “Baby? Maybe swishing with some mouthwash first will help?”

“Oh good idea. Ugh, I don’t know how you tolerate the green mouthwash – the blue stuff is better. I’ll have to remember to bring my own stuff over,” Kurt chattered. Blaine could hear him gargling from the other room and breathed a sigh of relief. His toothbrush may still be useable after this.

“Blaine, why don’t you have towels in here?”

“Um, because I’m a guy and I forget to do laundry?”

“I’m a guy and I don’t….forget it. I’m going to lose this one no matter how hard I try,” conceded Kurt. He poked his head outside the bathroom door. “Can I at least ask why I’m naked?”

“You can ask,” Blaine answered facetiously.

“Very funny, Blaine. What happened last night that I’m totally naked…. And oddly not even freaking out about it?”

“C’mon out, Kurt, and we’ll talk.”

“You just want to see me parade around your place naked.”

“I won’t deny that, but I do want to talk, to, and we’d be so much more comfortable curled up in bed,” Blaine reasoned.

Blaine shifted over to the far side of the bed and turned down the comforter in invitation to Kurt. Kurt walked out of the bathroom somewhat hunched over, trying hide himself, Blaine presumed. “Honey, I wish you wouldn’t hide from me.”

Kurt slid into the bed and quickly covered up. “Give me a few minutes, Blaine. I need to figure if there’s anything I need to feel humiliated over first. Then maybe I’ll have room emotionally to deal with being naked in front of you in broad daylight.”

Blaine considered that for a moment. “Fair enough, but you did tell me last night that you would let me see you in daylight. Let me tell you the context of it, though.”

Blaine proceeded to rehash the details of the following evening. Kurt remembered the party just fine, but beginning with arriving at Blaine’s house, things started to get a bit hazy.

“Well, when we got here, we made a deal – you’d get naked in the dark for me last night, and then you’d let me actually see you in the morning light.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Kurt mused.

“No, it really wasn’t. We had some really exciting touching and teasing time, which you enjoyed THOROUGHLY, I must say. However, you came pretty hard, and I think the fatigue from that put you over the edge from a little sleepy firmly into way too damn tired to be coherent.”

Kurt cringed, “Oh shit. Are you trying to tell me that...”

“Yep. I even texted everyone to see if anyone would fess up to spiking your diet coke.”

“Oh no, they wouldn’t. They know what kind of wrath they’d suffer if they dare even TOUCH the diet coke. I could singlehandedly support at least half of the Coca-Cola company by myself and this is all beside the point, isn’t it?”

Blaine chuckled. “You’re adorable, Kurt. But yes, beside the point. The Dalton guys and most of the McKinley kids denied any involvement, but I learned a few things from Finn and Mercedes.”

“Crap. Yes, I do get pretty insane when I’m overtired. Please tell me I didn’t say anything too awful.”

“Weeeeeellllll…”

“Blaine? Spill.”

“If you thought you get interesting when you’re just overtired, try overtired and horny.”

“Oh sweet baby Jesus in the manger. Readers Digest Condensed version?”

“I’m not sure I can, but okay. I got you off. You wanted to repay me. I said no, you don’t need to. You insisted. You said it must be windy out ‘cause my cock was swaying in the breeze. Then you called it a lollipop so you started licking it. You said it tasted like penis but that’s okay because you’re gay and gay people like penis. You said, ooh balls, bouncy! And started bouncing them around. I tried to pull away again thinking I shouldn’t be letting you do this when you were so incoherent, you fucking GROWLED at me and launched into this huge diatribe about how just because you were tired it didn’t mean you didn’t want to blow your boyfriend. I came, you spit it out, and you mentioned you’d rather have jelly filling ‘cause you don’t like cream filling, like I was some sort of doughnut or something. I think that’s about it.” Blaine tried to get it out as quickly as possible.

Kurt covered his face and started shaking. Blaine thought he was crying and went to soothe him, but just as he was about to say some comforting words, he noticed that Kurt wasn’t crying, but he was laughing so hard he wasn’t making any sounds. Tears were streaming down from his eyes, and he could hardly catch his breath. When he finally did calm down to get a big breath, he snorted. Blaine had never, ever seen anyone laugh so hard.

“H-h-holy CRAP, Blaine, how did you not run screaming!”

“Well, my dick WAS in your mouth…”

“BLAINE!”

“No, seriously – I didn’t have any idea what to do! On one hand, my sides were splitting with the need to laugh until I cried, but on the other hand, you may not have given a blowjob before, but like everything else in your life, you are incredibly good at it. I wouldn’t be an 18 year old guy if I had turned it down. And somewhere in the middle, I felt like I was taking advantage of you. I sure as hell wouldn’t have let you do that if you were drunk, but this was almost like you were drunk. You would NOT stop, and you wouldn’t let me insist, either. So suffice it to say, it was an interesting night.”

“Wow. So I was good, huh?”

“You’re not upset?”

“I have to stop being so damn uptight sometime, don’t I?”

“No comment.”

“That was still a comment. Anyway, if I can’t let my hair down a bit with you, there’s no point in even being together. And since that is not an option, I decided to untwist my undies by taking them off completely,” and with that he threw back the covers with a flourish.

“Mmm, that’s my confident sexy baby! I love you.” He pulled Kurt’s naked body over to rest on top of his own.

“I love you too, hon,” Kurt responded. “So, I really was good?”

“Mind blowing,” Blaine praised.

“I think you mean dick blowing,” said Kurt cheekily.

“Yeah, that too!”


	22. Chapter 22

“Porcelain! Other gay kid. In my office. Now.”

“How have we offended you _now_ , Coach Sylvester?”

“Don’t get me started. I need you back on the Cheerios, stat. Get your uniform from Becky and meet the rest of the squad on the football field in ten minutes,” she ordered. “Triangle brows, do you cheer?”

Blaine looked bewildered, “Um, no. Can’t say that I do.”

“Then get out of my office. I have no use for you here. You’re too short, anyway.”

“Coach Sylvester, what’s the deal? Why do you only want me back now?”

“I need to get back to winning Nationals. Your Celine Dion won me Nationals two years ago, and your Lady Gaga is going to win it for me again this year.”

“You had me at Gaga. Do I need to get Mercedes back as well?” Kurt preened.

“Nope. Just you. You’re not going to be sitting around and just singing this time – you’re also going to be working your ass off for me. I see those guns you’ve developed. I need you to help lift the girls. And not even the girls can kick as high as you. You have plenty for me to exploit.”

“Okay, Coach Sylvester, I’ll do it. Give me a minute, though. Blaine? Can I talk to you a minute?”

The boys left Coach Sylvester’s office. “Are you okay with me doing this, Blaine? I know part of the reason you came to McKinley was so you could spend more time with me, and now I’m taking a lot of that time away. Coach works the Cheerios pretty hard.”

“Do you want to do it? Really?” Blaine asked.

“I do, actually. I enjoyed the dancing a lot – I’m actually a lot better dancer than most people would guess just by watching me do the choreography Mr. Schuester puts together. And I kinda like being in the spotlight.”

“I know – even though you were sharing the stage at Nationals with Rachel, I saw how your face lit up.  You loved it. You were born to be a star.”

“So… you don’t mind?”

“I will miss you, but I would never say no to something that makes you happy. Even if we have to spend some of our date nights doing homework together or something, if I’m just in the same room with you, all is right in my world.”

“Thanks for being so understanding, Blaine.” Kurt walked back into Coach Sylvester’s office after giving Blaine a quick peck on the lips. “Becky, my uniform please?” She had already had it pressed and ready and handed it to him. “Thanks Becky – I’ll see you at practice.”

He handed Blaine his car keys. “Here hon, I doubt you’ll want to sit around for the three or so hours Coach is likely to make us work, so just go ahead and take my car to your place. Or heck, you can even go to my house and have dinner with Dad and Carole and Finn if you like, they’d be happy to have you. Coach Beiste doesn’t work the football team as hard as Coach Sylvester works the cheerleaders so he’ll be home. Just text me and let me know what you decide to do so I can get a ride to wherever you are afterwards, okay?”

“Sounds good babe. I love you and I hope you have fun. Be careful, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, but I’ll be careful. Love you too.”

Blaine pressed Kurt up against the wall with his entire body and gave him a long slow makeout kiss. Right at that moment, Coach Sylvester stomped out of her office and spat out, “Quit sucking face with your boyfriend, Porcelain, and get out on my field. You’re on MY time now.” She was gone almost before she could finish her command.

“I don’t know how you put up with that woman.”

“She’s all bark and no bite. You learn to tune her out and not let anything she says affect you.”

“I’ll see you later, Kurt.”

“Yeah, about 7 or so. Have fun, whatever you decide to do!” He hurried down the hall and waved as he turned the corner toward the locker room.

Blaine wasn’t sure what to do with himself now that he had the afternoon unexpectedly free. He and Kurt had planned on going for a walk through the park while the weather was still good, but he just wasn’t excited about going alone. He felt like walks were for meandering slowly, holding hands, sharing smiles, and just being together. He decided to just go home, and texted Kurt to let him know where he could find his car.

Blaine tried to watch TV, but there was just nothing on. Afternoon trash talk shows and Judge Whoever programs were far too mind-numbing for him to consider. He had some homework, but that only took about a half hour to complete. Dinner only took another fifteen minutes because it was pointless to expend energy preparing a meal for one; he just microwaved a frozen dinner and called it good. Finally, he sat down to his computer. His Facebook page taught him nothing new since the end of the day. Tina updated her status to show she was at Mike’s house, Rachel put some sort of Broadway lyrics in her status, and Brittany just blathered on about Lord Tubbington. Apparently he’s been getting into her diary again and refuses to seek help for his snooping problem, or something.

He opened up his email and sorted through the usual penis enhancement ads ( _I’m quite happy with mine the way it is, and Kurt seems satisfied, too,_ he thought) and credit card offers. Delete. Coupon codes for a sale at the Gap. _Don’t care much for the Gap anymore after “the incident.”_ Delete. Mass email to his Physics class from the teacher making a correction to the homework assignment. Keep, but he would fix whatever it was the teacher was asking them to fix later. Finally he came across a message that seemed promising.

**_From: McTina Cohen Chang-Chang tinacohenloser@yahoo.com  
To: Blaine Anderson-not-Warbler mckinleywarbler@gmail.com_ **

**_Subject: For your entertainment_ **

Attachments: singleladiesfootball.wmv, singleladiesdance.wmv

**Hey Blaine – I heard that Kurt accepted a position on the Cheerios today and thought you might be home alone, bored and wallowing. I remembered that I had promised these to you after Nationals but never got around to digging them up. Thought they might cheer you up. Enjoy! ;)**

**Tina**

**xXxXxXx**

_What in the world…?_ thought Blaine, not quite remembering what it was that Tina had promised. Singleladiesfootball.wmv – Oh, riiiight! He remembered the club telling him about Kurt’s adventures sophomore year with the football team. Blaine thought it was amusing that it took a skinny gay kid with a love for Beyonce to win a football game for a bunch of refrigerator-shaped jocks. He opened the video and saw footage of the whole football team swinging their hips and pointing to their ring fingers. It was one of the funniest things Blaine had ever seen, and he was dangerously close to pulling a literal ROTFL.

He kept watching, and out of nowhere, number 3 came prancing up to the ball and gave it a good solid kick. It went smack dab through the middle of the goal posts and even though the game was long in the past, Blaine got up and cheered. He would never admit it, but there may have been butt wiggles and imaginary football spiking involved in his little victory dance.

He took a moment to save the video safely to his computer just in case he should accidentally delete the email it was attached to. No way was he losing access to that file.

Next, he clicked on the one labeled singleladiesdance.wmv and opened that up. _Ohhhh sweet baby Jesus in the manager and all that is holy,_ he thought. Kurt was on his screen in a tight black top, tighter than tight black pants, a sequined black vest, and a black tie tied directly around his neck. _Single Ladies_ by Beyonce began to play, and Kurt began to swing his hips around and kick. _Oh holy hell, is that a fucking LEOTARD?_ As soon as the question left his head, a particularly violent hip thrust shifted the waistband of Kurt’s pants and yep, you could see that that was most definitely a leotard he was wearing.

Blaine’s jeans immediately became painfully constricting. He had gone from soft to “could hammer nails” in about two and a half seconds. Wincing, he gently pulled down his zipper to release some of the pressure. While it was better with his jeans off, it still wasn’t enough. The boxer briefs were snug enough where they didn’t provide a whole lot of extra room, so those had to come off as well. He sat back down after removing his clothing and directed his eyes to the screen again just as Kurt slapped his ass three times and wiggled it to the beat.

 _Dear God – now I KNOW you don’t hate gay people. If you did, you wouldn’t have put Kurt in spandex._ Blaine knew he couldn’t ignore his need for much longer so he frantically scrambled around the room for lube or lotion or SOMETHING. Finding nothing, he spat into his own hand ( _Gross,_ he thought) and began stroking himself quickly. He knew this was going to be very fast, and he didn’t even care. There wasn’t anyone there at the moment to impress with his stamina, so it really didn’t matter. Up and down the shaft, twisting around the head, collecting little bits of wetness to make things extra slippery.  He steadily increased his pace until his stroking was rather frenzied. He was pretty close to the edge but still hanging on… until Kurt began a series of short, quick pelvic thrusts. All Blaine could think of was those hips of Kurt’s thrusting into him, and it sent him crashing his way through a powerful orgasm.

Now, Blaine wasn’t normally a shooter, he was more of an oozer. Therefore he wasn’t exactly expecting anything to be landing on his laptop and mucking things up. “FUCK!!” he yelled, trying desperately to clean the offending  substance off the keyboard and prevent it from going underneath the keys. He had to be quick or else he was going to be suffering a very embarrassing trip to the Geek Squad and explaining why his computer smelled like sex and the keys were all crusty.

After about 20 minutes and some detail work with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, he finally managed to turn his laptop back into a functioning piece of computer equipment. _Note to self: Burn the video to a disc and watch it safely from a distance on the TV._

Just then he heard keys jingling from the other room. “Honeyyyyyy, I’m HOOOOOOOOOOOME,” Kurt called in his best Ricky Ricardo voice.

 _“Fuck my life,”_ Blaine muttered. He quickly pulled his pants back on, going commando, and rushed out to meet his boyfriend. He had lost track of time and had no idea that it was nearly time for Kurt to arrive. And Blaine had given Kurt a key to his house and permission to come and go as he pleased, so there was no need for him to knock and give Blaine any warning.

“There you are, gorgeous,” Kurt greeted him with a smile. “What have you been up to this afternoon?”

 _Holy fuck, I don’t know what’s more of a turn on, that black leotard and tight pants or that cheerleading uniform,_ Blaine thought as he ogled Kurt. It was quite obvious that Kurt had bulked up since he had last worn a Cheerios uniform, because the one he was wearing was very nearly too small. With Blaine back and caring for him, Kurt easily put on the weight he had lost the last few weeks of summer and regained his muscle tone by spending a little extra time in the weight room. _My man is looking fucking delicious._

“Oh, just sitting around thinking of you, Love,” Blaine grinned knowingly. “Spent some time cleaning up my keyboard, getting all the crusties out.”

“Blaine, I keep telling you, you should not eat at your computer. Finn goes through more laptops that way – he just eats and eats until there’s more food in the keyboard than in his stomach and the sensors underneath the keys wear out so much faster,” Kurt lectured him. Blaine was used to Kurt’s speeches by now – he spent a lot of time up on his soapbox – so he just waited until Kurt was finished and then smiled and nodded.

“Yes, dear,” he said, and kissed Kurt on the nose.  “Eeew, gross, honey. You may be pretty, but apparently not too pretty to stink. Coach Sylvester must have put you guys through your paces today.”

“Hey, you try tossing girls up in the air all afternoon. Not only do I have to touch them, eew, by the way, but Sue thinks that because I beefed up a muscle or two, I can now handle catching human beings falling from the top of a pyramid.  It makes me sweat, can’t help that.”

Blaine smiled. _God was Kurt sexy._ “I know, babe. Why don’t you go grab a change of clothes and take a shower?”

“Okay, that sounds really good. I’m looking forward to peeling off this polyester strait jacket don’t you say a single word Blaine Anderson.”

Blaine grinned and threw his hands up in the air. “What? I didn’t say anything!”

Kurt put his hands on his hips and plastered his best stern look on his face. “Oh don’t you give me that. I know how your perverted little mind works. I’m not sure what you were going to say, but I’m pretty sure it was going to be some combination of rude, crude, and/or lewd.”

“I give, I give,” Blaine conceded. “Gosh you’re fierce when you’re perturbed.”

“Damn right,” Kurt said, and he turned and walked into Blaine’s bedroom.

“Blaine, _honey,”_ he called. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

 _SHIT._ Blaine slowly made his way into his room. “Ummmm….”

“Ahh yes, umm. So eloquent, Blaine. So let’s see. What HAVE you been up to this afternoon? This room REEKS of come, your underwear has been abandoned on the floor, and my ass is paused full screen on your laptop. We won’t even get into the wadded up tissues and Q-Tips all over the desk. ‘Crusties,’ huh?”

“Well….”

“Oh, come on, I need to hear this story.”

Blaine flushed a deep red. “Um, well Tina finally made good on sending me your Single Ladies dance videos that she promised me after Nationals. I opened up the football game one and thought it was awesome. So proud of you, by the way. But then I opened up the video of you in the spandex and sequins and I may have had…an accident.”

Kurt smirked. He had seen Blaine embarrassed, but this was mortification. And yes, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.

“I need details, honey. If you are going to get some action while I’m not around, the least you could do is tell me of your adventures afterwards.”

“You are evil, Kurt. Pure evil. God. Okay, fine. I was turned on like you wouldn’t believe. Instant boner, Kurt. INSTANT. Your hip swivels and pelvic thrusts are the goddamn devil. I had no idea that my laptop would be a casualty because I don’t usually come for distance, but this particular time I surprised myself and I spent 20 minutes cleaning jizz out of my keyboard are you fucking happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” Kurt winked as he headed into the bathroom. Blaine heard the water turn on. “Oh and Blaine?” Kurt yelled over the sound of the shower. “If you hurry in here, I may reprise some of your favorite moves from that video in the shower.”

 _Omigod,_ Blaine thought. _Sign me up._

“Just a sex, I mean sec, babe! I will be right there!”

He pulled up his email program and quickly typed out a reply.

**xXxXxXx**

**_From: Blaine Anderson-not-Warbler mckinleywarbler@gmail.com  
To: McTina Cohen Chang-Chang tinacohenloser@yahoo.com  
Subject: re: For your entertainment_ **

Dear Tina –

Thank you for _rising_ to the challenge to cheer me up. It was _hard_ not to be _happy_ watching these videos – smiles _came quickly._

I owe you a coffee. Or a car. Or something.

Blaine

**> Hey Blaine – I heard that Kurt accepted a position on the Cheerios today and thought you might >be home alone, bored and wallowing. I remembered that I had promised these to you after >Nationals but never got around to digging them up. Thought they might cheer you up. Enjoy! ;)**

**> Tina**

**xXxXxXx**

Blaine hit send on the message and slammed down the lid of the laptop. Stripping his clothes off along the way, he practically danced into the bathroom. This was most definitely a performance he was NOT going to miss!


	23. Chapter 23

Blaine really had no idea of the amount of work Kurt was going to have to put in with the Cheerios when he said that he didn’t mind if Kurt joined. He didn’t, really, but he also thought Kurt was exaggerating when told Blaine how much time he should be expecting them to spend apart.

And poor Kurt was so tired, too. Occasionally he made it to Blaine’s house, and then he would feed him, but then he’d go back home right away to sleep. They hadn’t even gotten any good cuddle time. On the Tuesday before the big Homecoming game and dance, Blaine begged Kurt to stay overnight.

“Please Kurt? I miss you so much. I don’t even care if you’re awake. I just want to go to sleep with you in my arms.”

“Blaine honey, please try to understand. I really need to go home. Luckily our teachers understand that Coach Sylvester is a tyrant and is working us Cheerios to the bone, but I really need to get home to do my homework. HOME, Blaine,” he said when Blaine began to protest. “I can’t concentrate on my schoolwork around you. I can practically HEAR the sexy dripping off you, and I need to be able to work without distraction in the little time I have. I promise you, Blaine, that after the game and dance, I am coming home with you for the entire weekend. My family knows not to expect to see me until Sunday evening. I will be all yours.”

Blaine admittedly felt a little crushed that his boyfriend would not be staying that night, either. It had been awhile since he had just sat and HELD Kurt, let alone anything else, and he would be lying if he said that he hadn’t been kept awake at night by his loneliness.

“Okay Kurt. I’m sorry. I’m not being very supportive. I am so proud of you – walking through the halls at school with you when you’re wearing your uniform does give me a thrill. But I will suck it up and deal with it like a big boy. Friday night, though – I don’t care if you’re dead on your feet. You will be in my bed. Got it, Mister?”

“Yes sir!” Kurt saluted. “Oh, before I forget, sweetie – here’s your tie for the dance.” Kurt handed him a solid black tie. Blaine would wear it with a royal blue button down shirt and black dress pants. He was glad that the dance was less formal than Prom. Not only would he not have to wear a jacket, but this meant Kurt would be dressing down, too.

“I’ll be dressing opposite of you for the dance. I have a black button down and a royal blue tie the exact shade as your shirt. I decided I’d rather look coupley than flashy this time around. Once the game ends I no longer belong to Sue Sylvester. I will belong to you.”

“I won’t leave you all night, baby.”

“Good. But with that, I need to leave you for the evening so I can go home, sleep, and relive this insanity again tomorrow. Oh happy happy joy joy.”

“You’ll get through it, and you’ll be amazing. And I love you.”

“I love you, too. Looking forward to Friday night will get me through the rest of this week!”

Kurt walked to the door, and Blaine followed close behind. “I will see you tomorrow in school, sweetie. Get some sleep, okay?”

“I should be the one telling you that, Kurt,” Blaine scolded. “I want there to be something left of you when I finally get you back!”

“Don’t worry. You will. That’s my top priority. Good night!”

“Good night…” Blaine trailed off sadly.

He didn’t care that he would get Kurt Friday night. Kurt wasn’t here tonight. And he wasn’t here permanently. And until he was, Blaine had a feeling he’d feel a twinge of sadness every night they weren’t together.

He closed and locked the door and headed to his bedroom. It was early, but he decided to call it a night anyway. He used the toilet, took a shower, and brushed his teeth, all with glassy eyes.

It wasn’t until he slid between the cold sheets that he allowed a lone tear to run down his cheek.

**xXxXxXx**

“Blaine!! Over here!!” Rachel called out to Blaine when she saw him enter the football field. She was so short, she had to jump up and down and wave her arms wildly to be noticed. Blaine knew that problem all too well. Luckily, Rachel was such a powerful presence it didn’t take him long to spot her and make his way over to her.

“Hi Blaine!” Rachel gave him a big hug. “This is the section where all the boyfriends and girlfriends of the football team and Cheerios sit. We would’ve had you sit with us before, anyway, but now that Kurt’s with the Cheerios, you are officially a card carrying member of the Significant Others club.”

“Thanks Rachel. I wasn’t looking forward to sitting by myself somewhere else. Burt and Carole couldn’t make it to this game so I wouldn’t have even had them.”

“Well, you’ll always have us – we won’t ever let you feel left out!”

“ _Wish Kurt felt that way,”_ Blaine mumbled. Unfortunately for him, Rachel had excellent hearing.

“What’s the matter, Blaine?”

“Oh, don’t mind my pity party. I just haven’t seen Kurt too much. He tries, he stops over at my place after practice, but he’s being run ragged, and I almost worry about him driving home. And even when he gets home, he still needs to do homework. Do you think after this game, Coach Sylvester will lighten up any? Kurt said they were working hard so they could debut a routine they planned on doing in the competition tonight.”

“I honestly don’t know. She seems to have the Sue Sylvester version of a soft spot for Kurt. She went up to bat for him both when Burt was so sick and when Karofsky got so bad. You might have to talk with him and see if he’ll ask her to chill out a little bit. She might go for it; he IS doing her a favor by being on her squad, after all.”

“I’m just worried for his health… and my morale. I’m rather down in the dumps without my Kurtsie around. Oh crap, don’t let him know that I let that nickname slip. He pretends he hates it, but he actually likes it. He just won’t admit it.”

Rachel grinned. “Believe it or not, my lips are zipped. I’ve been better at that kind of thing lately.”

“I appreciate it. I can’t wait ‘til tonight, though. He’s coming home with me and staying for the entire weekend. That’s going to go a long way towards restoring my good mood.”

Rachel was sympathetic, “I know this sucks now, Blaine, but you guys are it for each other. Endgame. Everyone sees it, and I know you guys do, too. You will survive and you will be better for it. Just hang in there!”

“Thanks for the pep talk, Rachel. Sometimes I need to be picked up, dusted off, and set on my way again.”

“Ooooh, here they come! They’ll announce the Cheerios first and then the football players.” The cheerleaders danced, bounced, and tumbled onto the field. Normally the Cheerios were not announced individually by name, but seeing as how this was Homecoming, they always honored everyone’s contribution by giving them each a couple seconds in the spotlight.

Blaine watched and politely applauded for each cheerleader. His group of friends ramped up the enthusiasm when Quinn was announced. Kurt’s name was called after Quinn’s, and to acknowledge the crowd, he performed the highest leg kick Blaine had ever seen. It was like he was doing the splits vertically.

“Hot damn…” he said, very impressed with his boyfriend’s flexibility and devising ways he could use that flexibility to his advantage.

The rest of the group cheered equally for Santana and Brittany as their names were called.  When the Cheerios were done, they took a few steps back and the football team jogged onto the field. Artie’s name was called first – Coach Beiste didn’t really have a whole lot she could do with Artie on the field, so he was benched a lot, but she didn’t have the heart to cut him from the team. He knew this, but it made him feel like he was a part of something, so he went along with her going along with it.  The Glee club members in the stands stayed standing as the rest of their guys’ names were called – Mike, Sam, Finn, and Puck.

The visiting team was announced and the McKinley stands were much quieter. Finally, the game began. Blaine loved football and tried to pay attention to the game, but his eyes kept drifting to Kurt. The male Cheerios generally tended to let the girls do the basic cheers during the games and only actively participated during the elaborate cheer routines, but as always, Kurt tended to run with the girls, and he joined them for their motivational cheers during the game. Blaine could tell, however, that he wasn’t into it 100% - Kurt was TIRED. He didn’t look so much sleepy as just physically wiped out, which was good since Blaine didn’t want to see a public version of post-birthday party Kurt. THAT Kurt was his and his only.

“Liking what you see, Blaine?” Rachel asked. She had noticed his eyes drifting to the sidelines often.

“He’s absolutely wiped out, Rachel. Look at him! I may try to take him home instead of going to the dance. I’m sure it won’t work, but I’m going to see what I can do. That boy needs a soft bed, a warm body to curl up next to, and about twelve hours of shut eye.”

“You’re right. He does look exhausted. If you are successful, please text me so we know not to look for you at the dance,” she requested.

“I will.”

Blaine had spent so much time watching and worrying over Kurt that he hadn’t noticed it was officially halftime. The Homecoming Court candidates were driven around the field in convertibles, and while they made their rounds, the Cheerios were out on the field, warming up and getting everything set up for their big number. Kurt was being fitted for a headset microphone. _Wow,_ he thought. _I had no idea Kurt would be singing._

The last convertible left the stadium and the cheerleaders rushed to get into formation. Kurt stood out at the front of the squad and struck a pose facing the squad rather than the stands, waiting for his music cue. The music began and the Cheerios began dancing around him, but he waited for a few beats before he turned around to sing.

“Oh my God, it’s Gaga!” Rachel squealed.

 _There ain't no reason you and me should be alone  
Tonight, yeah, baby! (Tonight, yeah, baby!)  
  
_ Kurt then looked into the stands where he knew Blaine would be sitting and pointed directly at him.  
 _  
And I got a reason that you're who should take me home tonight (Tonight)  
I need a man that thinks it's right when it's so wrong  
Tonight, yeah, baby! (Tonight, yeah, baby!)  
Right on the limits where we know we both belong tonight_

_It's hard to feel the rush, to brush the dangerous  
I'm gonna run right to, to the edge with you  
Where we can both fall far in love  
  
I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment of truth  
Out on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you  
I'm on the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge,  
I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you  
I'm on the edge with you._

Blaine’s eyes couldn’t be torn away from the sight of his boyfriend’s perfectly executed dance moves and stunning acrobatics for anything in the world. During the instrumentals, Kurt was helping with lifts and catches, and he even had time for a perfect back flip at one point. Blaine had no idea how Kurt could work so hard with the movements in the routine and still have enough voice left to sing. Blaine knew he wouldn’t have that kind of energy. The walking and spinning the Warblers did in their choreography was work enough.

“Holy shit, he’s been holding out on me,” he said to no one in particular. He thought he heard laughter as he said it, but he couldn’t tell, and he didn’t care. There was no way he was going to divert the smallest speck of attention away from Kurt.

At the very end of the routine, Kurt himself was lifted onto the shoulders of the other Cheerios as the ending pose. As soon as the music ended, Blaine launched himself out of his seat and began jumping up and down and clapping. “WOO HOO! You show ‘em how it’s done, baby!”

Kurt was laughing and smiling at Blaine and he blew him a kiss, as he jogged off the football field with the other Cheerios. A few minutes later, the football game resumed and the Cheerios had returned to the field, but he couldn’t spot Kurt among them.

“Hey Rachel, do you know why Kurt isn’t with the rest of the cheerleaders?”

“He’s not down there? Gee, I have no clue why. Maybe he got something on his uniform and he’s busy fussing with it.”

Blaine chuckled. It sounded like the kind of reaction Kurt would have, but he didn’t think that was it.

“I think I’m going to go check the locker room and see if he’s down there.”

“Check the girls locker room, too, if he’s not in the guys. Sometimes he feels self-conscious in with the guys, and it sounds bad, but not all of the guys are comfortable with him being in there, either. So a lot of times the girls let him hang out with them.”

“Will it be okay for me to just walk in?”

“Oh yeah, sure. Like I say, Kurt does it all the time, and since you’re gay, too, I don’t see how it’s any different. Just announce yourself on the way in. There shouldn’t be any girls in there, but you never know.”

Blaine ventured into the boys locker room. It was perfectly silent and echoey, but he checked the showers and toilets anyway – nothing. He made his way over to the girls locker room. He hesitated outside the door for a moment, but he decided Rachel was probably right – they were used to Kurt and likely no one would be in there anyway.

Not far in from the door, Blaine saw a sight that simultaneously warmed and broke his heart. Kurt was lying down on a bench, curled up in a little ball, fast asleep. “Oh sweetheart, look at you, you’re so tired.”

Kurt stirred at the sound of Blaine’s voice and woke up. “Mmm Blaine? What’re you doing here? This is the girls locker room.”

“I know, but Rachel told me you might be here and mentioned that the girls were used to having you around and probably wouldn’t mind me being here either. But we’re the only ones here right now.”

“I just had to catch a few winks before the dance tonight. Now that I’ve done my big number, Coach Sylvester won’t notice if I’m there or not for the rest of the game.”

 “You really do need to talk to her, Kurt,” Blaine urged.  “I can live with my time with you being shortened, but I’m totally not down with her working you to the point of… this,” he said, sweeping his hand down in front of Kurt. “I worry about you.”

“I know. I know I’m pretty much there to be her ace in the hole for competitions. For your basic team spirit game cheering, there are more than enough regular Cheerios to cover it. I think if I could get her to rearrange practices so that we work on the competition routines first, I can bail when they switch to the other stuff and still get home to you at a decent time. I’m only really interested in doing the big performances, anyway.”

“And I’ve gotta say, baby, your performance today was fucking spectacular. I always knew you were wildly talented but this was over the top amazing and a special treat for me. I am so incredibly proud to be the boyfriend of the star Cheerio,” Blaine raved.

“Awww, honey, that’s sweet. I heard you cheering for me. That took guts to pretty much announce us right in front of an entire football stadium’s worth of people.”

“Oh, damn, I really did do that, didn’t I? Are you okay with that?” Blaine worried. He didn’t THINK it was an issue, but what if…?

“Hell, I don’t care. You know that I am who I am and screw whoever doesn’t like it. I’m actually kind of surprised you’re all right with it.”

“Well, let’s see. I already did something similar in New York, though I will most likely never see any of those people again, whereas there are tons of people here that I know, or know of, or that know of me. But I am done hiding. I lost my parents over this, but I know for a fact that every single other important person in my life is okay with me being who I am, and as long as that’s the case, I couldn’t possibly give a rat’s ass what anyone else thinks.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Let me go ahead and change into my clothes for the dance, and then we’ll go out and watch the rest of the game. It’s not over yet, is it?” asked Kurt.

“No, I really doubt it. I came looking for you pretty quickly after the game resumed. I was worried when I saw everyone but you come back out. I’m sorry you didn’t get to sleep much.”

“That’s okay. I’ll be all right for a little while longer. I hope you don’t mind if I catch up on my sleep this weekend. I hate to spend too much time asleep around you, but the thought of spending it all curled up in your arms makes it worth it.”

“I’m looking forward to it, actually. My arms have felt very empty lately.”

Kurt took Blaine’s hand and slowly made his way to the locker room door. “Honey, you’re really stiff – did you hurt yourself during the routine?” Blaine questioned.

“No, I’m fine. It’s just a hell of a lot of work to sing, dance, flip, lift, and catch practically all at once. And I was going all out for this performance. I need some ibuprofen and rest. And maybe a massage from a disgustingly handsome boyfriend of mine.”

“That can be arranged. Are you sure you even want to go to the dance? I would be totally fine with skipping it if you’re too sore or tired or anything,” Blaine offered. He could go either way as far as attending the dance, so whatever Kurt wanted was what they would do.

“While I can probably easily be convinced to leave the dance fairly early, I would at least like to put in an appearance. Get a few pictures, dance slowly in my boyfriend’s arms, and then maybe head home.”

“Okay, I can agree with that.”

Kurt and Blaine headed back out, hand in hand, to the field where the game was just entering the 4th quarter. “Oh good, I see you found him,” said Rachel.

“Curled up fast asleep in the locker room.”

“Are you still going to the dance?” she asked.

“Yes, but for a very short amount of time. Just enough to get pics and a dance, and then we are going to head out.”

“Sounds great. I would love to get a large group picture of the entire Glee club, and it just wouldn’t be right without you two. We’ll make sure to do it right away.”

“Awesome. Kurt? I didn’t really pay much attention to the game up until this point anyway, so if you want to just go and hang out in the car or something and rest ‘til the dance starts, I’d be cool with that.”

Kurt was quick to accept Blaine’s offer. “Okay, that sounds way more appealing than sitting here watching a game I don’t particularly care about. Guys? We’ll see you in a little while.” He waved goodbye to the gang and they left the stadium.

They made their way out to the parking lot and decided to sit in the back of the Navigator so that Kurt could stretch out and rest. Kurt was hesitant to lie down because he didn’t want to wrinkle, but the thought of getting off his feet and kicking back for a bit was just too irresistible.

He got horizontal and pulled Blaine down next to him. “C’mon, honey. I’m lying down, and you’re lying with me. I think a nice healthy dose of Blaine Anderson cuddles would do me a world of good right now.”

“Believe me, I need that really badly myself. I have missed you so much since you joined the Cheerios. I am continually amazed by your talent, but sometimes instead of Kurt the incredibly gifted person, I just need Kurt the love of my life,” Blaine confided.

Kurt pulled Blaine closer and gave him a smoldering hot kiss. “And you have him, as long as I have Blaine the love of my life right back.”

“You do. You always will,” Blaine vowed.

“I like the word ‘always,’” Kurt said with love in his voice.

They lay in the back of the car, content just to hold one another for as long as they could without interruption. Blaine had just about decided that Kurt had drifted off to sleep when Kurt asked softly, “Blaine? Have you thought about the future lately?”

“Well, we are seniors. Life is going to chuck a giant dose of reality at us in about eight or nine months, so yes, I have thought some.”

“I know Rachel and I have done a lot of talking about going to New York. I did mention it to you once and you said you were on board with the idea, but you and I have never actually discussed it.”

“Picking up and moving to New York is a very big thing. It’s exciting and magical, but it is also huge, somewhat overwhelming for some, and absolutely fucking expensive to live there. I guess the real question is, what is your ultimate goal or dream, and can it be achieved anywhere else?” Blaine said practically.

“Broadway is my dream, Blaine. I know you know this already, but I’m reiterating to make sure you know it hasn’t changed, and it isn’t likely to. If I want Broadway, I have to be in New York. I know there is lots of musical theater everywhere, but it’s not Broadway. And I don’t want a touring company, either. I am a bit of a homebody, especially now that being on a tour would mean leaving someone behind for long periods of time.” Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand with both of his and continued. “My heart won’t be able to handle being away from you for months at a time. I just want the opportunity to do what I love and build a life with you while I do it. What about you, Blaine?”

“I want to perform. I want to write music, and I want to share my music with anyone who wants to hear it. Whether it’s a ten table coffee house or a 15,000 seat arena, I want to give each and every person the show of my life every single time. I could probably do this just about anywhere, but it looks as though I’ll be doing it in New York. There’s bound to be tons of opportunities for open mics and whatnot.”

“Is that what you want, Blaine? I want you with me even more than I want Broadway, but I don’t want you in New York if you don’t want to be there.”

Blaine turned so he was looking deep into Kurt’s eyes. “Home is where the heart is, Kurt, and my heart is wherever you are. If you’re in New York, then my home is in New York. And I will be happy, because I’ll be home. For me, it’s as simple as that.”

“That was beautiful, Blaine.”

“So are you, Kurt. And I won’t live without your beautiful soul. So that’s one thing decided. We are going to New York. Sometime soon, we’ll want to get together with Rachel and see what her plans are.”

“So…what about school?” Kurt wondered.

“I’ve been kind of thinking about that, Kurt. I’m not sure I want college for myself. We are both already very good at what we want to do for a living. We don’t need to be taught how to do those things – maybe gather some pointers along the way as far as how to hone our talents, but for the most part, we’re probably ready to start trying now.  And I think school would probably get in the way of gigs for me or auditions and eventual rehearsals and performances for you,” Blaine reasoned. “I propose we consider taking a year off from school and try to set our plans in motion. After a year if we’re not having any luck, we can reevaluate and see where things go.”

Kurt nodded his head thoughtfully. “I kind of like that idea. I’ll have to think on it some more, and I’m certain my father will have something to say about it, but it is worth considering.”

“I think I’m pretty well decided for myself, but if you decide to start school right away in the fall, I will wholeheartedly support your choice any way I can. Whatever we decide, we’re going to have a great life together. I know it.”

“I know it too,” Kurt smiled dreamily. “Oh wow, check the clock. The dance started like a half an hour ago.”

“I wonder why our phones haven’t blown up with texts from people looking for us?”

Kurt pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Hmm, I don’t remember doing it, but my phone is turned off.”

Blaine checked his phone as well. “How the hell? Mine’s off too. It had a fresh battery and I never turn it off when I’m away from you.”

Kurt’s phone had just finished starting up when he got a text from Rachel.

**K &B – you needed some time alone, so I switched off your phones when you weren’t paying attention. Hell with the dance. We’ll be here the whole night so once you realize the time, come find us. – R**

Kurt sent a quick message back.

**R – thanks, much needed. Coming in now – gather the rest. K &B**

“Okay Blaine, let’s go in and get our dance on for a few minutes. This time we spent just talking has recharged my batteries a bit.”

“Good, ‘cause I was really looking forward to a slow dance with the man I love,” Blaine grinned.

“Me too,” Kurt agreed.

They got out of Kurt’s car and slowly walked to the McKinley High gym, hand in hand. Blaine glanced over at Kurt, and he had a heart-stopping smile on his face. He noticed Blaine staring at him and the smile grew wider.

“I love you. Every day I fall harder and farther in love with you.”

“I love you too, Kurt. You’ll never know how much, but I’ll spend every moment we have together showing you.”

They arrived at the gym and threw open both doors, entering at the same time and making somewhat of an entrance.

Puck took one look at them and asked, “What the hell? You’re over half an hour late and you didn’t even get yourselves any? Have I not taught you ANYTHING?”

“Thankfully we have been pretty good at dodging your teachings, Puckerman,” Kurt retorted. “It’s not all about the sex.”

Puck was getting ready to make his argument about how, yes, it really WAS all about the sex when Mercedes cut him off. “REGARDLESS, we are glad you and Blaine are here, Kurt. We need some PICTURES!” The rest of the glee clubbers cheered. They asked one of the teacher chaperones to take a couple of pictures of the entire group. The couples immediately got into position, but there was some question as to whom each of the others would stand with. Finally, it was decided that Sam would stand with both Mercedes and Quinn, and Artie had more than enough room on his lap and chair armrests for two beautiful cheerleaders, so Brittany and Santana sat with him. They took about five pictures of the group together to ensure that there would be at least one good one. Then the girls stood together, all striking a Vogue pose. They took one pic without Kurt before they realized that he Vogue’d best out of all of them and they called him to stand with them. They knew their picture would be much improved with his presence. Then the boys stood together. After a moment, they decided that the boys would stand in a line with Artie at the end. They would hold Blaine horizontally in front of them. To make it silly, Blaine carefully rested his feet on Artie’s head, and instead of smiling, Artie put a dirty look on his face. It was pretty classic. Kurt stood in the middle of the line of boys so he could be the one to hold Blaine’s butt. Hey, take whatever opportunity arises, right?

Finally, they did couple poses. They spent some time doing this as it was the perfect opportunity. They were all together in the same place at the same time and semi-dressed up. All the current couples went first. They posed for one serious pic and one silly pic. Blaine took Kurt by surprise and dipped him down low, kissing him at the same time. “PERFECT,” said Mercedes. “This one is going to be one you are going to want to print and display at your wedding.” Kurt and Blaine grinned at each other – they had never discussed anything that serious in their future, but neither one was scared off by the word wedding or the thought of marriage.

Rachel and Finn were next, then Puck and Lauren, and Mike and Tina. Kurt took the camera away from Mercedes and said, “Okay, diva. You and Sam are up next.”

“What makes you think Sam and I are dating?”

“You so are. You can’t hide anything from me. We never said anything, but Blaine and I saw you and Sam holding hands at the coffee shop after Nationals. I just can’t believe you kept it from us for that long.”

Mercedes flushed, “Well, we were going to say something after awhile, but by then we had been together long enough where it just seemed awkward to mention it, so we didn’t.”

“Why did you keep it a secret in the first place?” Kurt asked, somewhat hurt that his bestie hadn’t felt the need to confide in him.

“We just wanted to make it work. With a few exceptions like you and Blaine, it seems like once a Glee club relationship goes public, it goes to hell. We didn’t want to become a statistic.”

“I understand. Official congratulations, by the way. You guys should double with us sometime.” Blaine nodded at Kurt’s suggestion.

“Totally!” exclaimed Mercedes.

Sam and Mercedes posed for their serious pic by putting their arms around each other and staring into each other’s eyes. For their silly pic, Mercedes pretended to wail a high note into an air microphone while Sam jammed on an air guitar next to her. It was perfect.

Puck and Lauren and Mike and Tina took their turns, and that again left the undefined relationships. After some hemming and hawing, Brittany and Santana decided to pose together, as well as Brittany and Artie. Kurt had the great idea of taking pics of the former couples as well, because all their experiences together helped make them who they were now, and he thought that should be recognized. So, in a frenzy of new pics, Artie and Tina, Sam and Quinn, Finn and Quinn, Puck and Rachel, Puck and Santana, and Puck and Quinn stood together for pics. Even Blaine and Rachel, and Kurt and Mercedes took their turns, even though Blaine and Rachel were only together for all of about five seconds, and Kurt and Mercedes were only together in Mercedes’ head.

“Are we done now, Mercedes? I think my face is going to fall off if I have to smile anymore tonight,” Puck complained.

“If it did, it’d be an improvement,” Santana snarked back at him

“Now now, we’re having a good time, save the claws for later, boys and girls,” said Kurt. “I’m exhausted. I’m going to wait for a slow song, and the very next one that comes on, I am going to dance with my boyfriend and then take him home.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” cheered Puck.

“You’re a pig, Puckerman,” Kurt said with disgust.

Rachel caught Finn’s attention and pulled him off to the side. After whispering in his ear for a moment, he nodded his head and sneaked off toward the stage where the band was playing. As soon as they finished the song they were currently playing, Finn quickly spoke with the lead singer. He nodded quickly and spoke with the rest of the band. Then he grabbed a second guitar and stood in the back with his bandmates.

Kurt and Blaine were wrapped up in each other, the outside world nothing but a blur to them at that moment. Kurt’s ears perked up when he heard the piano began to play. He recognized the opening notes to Faithfully by Journey.

“C’mon Blaine, here’s our slow song.” As he dragged Blaine to the dance floor, he heard Finn began to sing, reprising their song from Regionals last year. “Oh wow, our friends are singing for us, honey.”

Neither boy led, neither boy followed. They each pulled the other as close as they could and swayed to the music. Blaine laid his head on Kurt’s shoulder and gently kissed him on the neck. The love Kurt felt in just that one tiny kiss was overwhelming enough to make him tear up.

While they were dancing, the rest of the New Directions spread themselves through the gym. When it was their turn to join in the song with Finn and Rachel, it sounded as if they were surrounded by song. The effect was amazing.

_I’m forever yours…. Faithfully._

Kurt faced the stage and signed Thank you to Finn and Rachel. Then he and Blaine left the gym and went to the parking lot.  Kurt handed Blaine his keys and they made their way to Blaine’s house. Kurt grabbed his overnight bag and they went inside.

“Do you need anything to eat or drink, baby? Or do you just need sleep?”

“I just need sleep, with you as close to me as you can possibly get.”

“You weren’t going to get a choice in that matter, so I’m glad that’s what you want. Did you want to shower first?”

“No, believe it or not, I couldn’t care less if I go to bed unshowered tonight. Bed and you. That’s all there’s room for on my radar. Come on, let’s go.”

Blaine pulled Kurt’s lips to his with his tie before he helped him remove it, and Kurt did the same thing to Blaine. They helped each other unbutton and remove shirts and pants, and it wasn’t long before they were lying in bed, skin to skin, tangled up in each other. Sleep came quickly for Kurt, not so quickly for Blaine. It didn’t matter to him, though. He was happy just to revel in the joy he felt just by having his boy in his arms again. His lonely heart was beginning to mend.


	24. Chapter 24

Blaine woke up long before Kurt the next morning. It wasn’t surprising – Blaine didn’t have a little dictator of a cheerleading coach riding his ass every day. He was willing to bet that Kurt hadn’t had more than 4 hours or so of sleep a night since he joined. He stealthily slipped out from beneath the covers and padded into the bathroom to take care of his morning needs.

Oh his way to the kitchen, Blaine checked on Kurt again. He was lying on his stomach, almost entirely uncovered, and his face was buried deep in the pillow. Blaine wondered how Kurt wasn’t suffocating himself in that pillow and he stopped to take a moment to adjust his head just a little to clear his airways. He hadn’t planned on getting dressed, but he was going to be cooking – the idea of heat or anything hot falling on delicate areas scared him enough to at least slip on a pair of underwear. Anything else was pushing it.

He decided on making a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. Lots of protein and carbs for energy later, he thought, his hormones having more than just a little bit of say in today’s menu. Not to mention, it was one of the few things he could actually cook; Kurt was the culinarily talented one in this relationship.

He plated up the simple meal and brought it to the bedroom. Kurt was still in the same position on his stomach on the bed. Blaine set the plates on the dresser and carefully laid himself on top of Kurt, his cock fitting perfectly in the crack of Kurt’s exposed ass. _Wish I had thought to take my underwear off before I did this,_ Blaine thought. It was too late for that, though, as Kurt was beginning to stir. Blaine began kissing Kurt’s shoulders and the side of his neck as Kurt woke up.

“Mmm warm,” Kurt mumbled.

“Good morning… well, almost afternoon… baby. How’d you sleep?”

“Ugh, amazing,” Kurt yawned. “A long night curled up with you is exactly what the doctor ordered.”

“Dr. Anderson, at your service. And I prescribe much more bed today, though I strongly recommend you stay awake while you are here,” he said, winking exaggeratedly.

“And I plan on following your advice, Dr. Anderson, just as soon as I eat whatever it is that smells so damn good in here. I am SO hungry – I haven’t eaten since before the game last night.”

“Jeez, Kurt! That’s not good for you. Not even an energy bar or something?”

“You’re going to yell at me if I tell you the truth, and you’re going to yell at me if I lie, so I’m just going to stay quiet and shovel food in my mouth instead.” Kurt picked up his plate and took a look at it, cringing at all the greasy food he saw.

Blaine caught the look on his face. “Relax, baby. Would it make you feel better if I told you what you see is Eggbeaters, turkey bacon, and whole grain toast with sugar-free jam?”

Kurt looked at his boyfriend and grinned. He knew him SO well. “I feel my arteries smiling, babe. Thank you for humoring me.”

“You’re welcome, but it’s not humoring you if I completely agree with why you choose to eat the way you do. I know you’ve always been healthy anyway, but with Burt having heart troubles, I know you want to try to prevent that from happening to you. And I’m on board with it, too – just don’t deny me a few greasy meals here and there and we’ll get along just fine.”

Kurt took a few bites. “Hey, this is pretty good! My family is pretty hopeless when it comes to food, so if you can make a few meals here and there, it will be great to have someone share cooking duty with sometimes.”

“Well, I’m not sure how good I am when it comes to anything other than picking up a phone and calling for a pizza,” Blaine admitted, “but I am certainly willing to try. I’m sure there are a few things you could teach me,” he said suggestively.

“Somehow I have the feeling that this perfect breakfast didn’t show up here JUST because you felt it necessary to feed me. Are you sucking up to me, perhaps just a little bit?”

“Sucking might have been part of my plan…” Blaine winked.

Kurt hurriedly finished his meal and tossed the plate to the side. Blaine took that as a hint to grab Kurt’s feet and yank his body down flat on the bed. He then crawled up Kurt’s body, one leg on either side. Kurt tried to sit up to try to get his mouth on Blaine’s sooner, but Blaine pushed him back down. “Behave and be patient, Kurt,” he commanded. “The more you try to speed things up, the more I’m going to make you wait. This is my show today.”

Kurt whimpered in response. Blaine smiled – this was going to be fun. He sat down on Kurt’s thighs, doing nothing other than watching him. Kurt tried to move his hips in a desperate attempt to get any sort of friction from anything, but there was nothing there, and Blaine was pinning him down, so there was no point. “Patience, Kurt,“ Blaine said. “You will get what you want, but it will be on my time.”

Rising back up on his knees, Blaine leaned over to kiss Kurt full on the mouth. Kurt grunted and tried to deepen the kiss, but Blaine immediately pulled away. “No no, Kurt. My turn.” He pressed his lips to Kurt’s again and sucked his bottom lip into his own mouth. He gently nipped and nibbled both of Kurt’s lips until they were beautifully swollen. He then gently snaked his tongue inside Kurt’s mouth and began exploring.  Top, sides, tongue, teeth – everywhere Blaine’s tongue could reach, he touched and tasted. Needing to take a breath, Blaine pulled away. He noticed a wild look in Kurt’s eyes. The kind of wild look that told him that Kurt was already on a hair trigger and he was in dire need of relief.

“God you’re beautiful when you’re turned on and desperate to come. I think you need a moment to calm down, though. We can’t have you making that incredible o-face for me just yet.”

Kurt’s face fell just a fraction. “What’s wrong, baby? You WANT to come now and miss out on feeling what other amazing things I can do to your body? I could make you explode all over yourself now, but that wouldn’t be as fun as waiting would be, would it?”

“Oh GOD, Blaine, what are you doing to me? I feel like… like…”

“That’s exactly how you’re supposed to feel. Now, my tongue is tired, and it needs to find a place to rest… Hmm, maybe right here,” he said as he lazily dragged his tongue right behind Kurt’s ear. Kurt squeaked.  “Hmm, you like that, huh? I’ll make a note of that. Wonder what else you like. Maybe this?” He then drew a line with his tongue down the side of Kurt’s slender neck and blew on the wet line, causing Kurt to shudder.

“Blaine,” Kurt breathed.

“Yes Kurt?” he asked, knowing already what Kurt would say.

“I need to… please let me…”

“Say it, Kurt. Out loud.”

“Please let me come, Blaine,” he whispered. “Please. I need it so bad.”

“Well, I love to hear you beg, but I think you need to be tongue tortured just a little bit more. You need to be a good boy for me before I give you what you want, though. Can you do that for me? Can you be a good boy and not come just yet?”

Kurt could do nothing but nod. Blaine didn’t think Kurt would make it much longer, but he was looking forward to seeing how much longer that would be.

“Now, I think because you’re so close, I think I better skip some of the places I was going to stop on my tongue tour of your body and just get right to my destination. What do you think, beautiful?”

“Oh God yes, please, anything, just… ungh!”

Blaine grinned. He was enjoying teasing Kurt almost as much as Kurt’s body was enjoying it. Inside his boxer briefs, his cock was rock hard and trying desperately to break through the fabric, but Blaine Jr. would have to wait his turn, which wouldn’t be until later. Oh, Blaine had plans for himself as well as Kurt for later…

He retreated back down Kurt’s body until he was face to face – well, head to head – with Kurt’s cock.  He grasped the base gently and Kurt’s hips bucked. _Oh yes,_ Blaine thought, _this was NOT going to take long._

“Oh Kurt, you’re practically weeping for me. I need to clean you up a bit before I can play with you, I think.” He hesitantly flicked his tongue out to taste some of the pre-cum that had gathered at the tip. Kurt had sucked Blaine off before, but hadn’t actually gotten his mouth on Kurt yet, so he didn’t quite know what to expect. He had heard that the taste wasn’t exactly pleasant, and unfortunately, that was accurate information. But it wasn’t unbearable, so he kept going. After all, he would never ask Kurt to do something for him that he himself wouldn’t do, and he REALLY wanted Kurt’s mouth on him again. Fair was fair.

He traced his tongue along the vein on the underside of Kurt’s cock and noticed that Kurt’s entire body was beginning to vibrate. He could tell that Kurt was trying very hard to hold back his orgasm. Blaine decided he was done torturing his boyfriend and would get down to business. Swirling his tongue around the tip, Blaine finally went in for the kill and put the entire head in his mouth. Kurt again tried to buck his hips, but as he was in Blaine’s mouth this time, Blaine held him down so things wouldn’t get out of control. He slowly went as far down Kurt’s cock as he thought he could handle, and then he withdrew, giving light suction on the way back.

Kurt wove his fingers through Blaine’s hair, gently tugging. “Blaine, you gotta move, I gotta come. Please Blaine.”

Blaine allowed Kurt to pull him away from his cock. He quickly replaced his mouth with his hand and began to stroke Kurt firmly. It took just two strokes before Kurt was coming in strong spurts over Blaine’s hand and his own stomach.

“Omigod, omigod, omigod,” Kurt panted as he came down from his high. “You are extraordinarily good at that, just so you know.”

“You are extraordinarily HOT when you come, so believe me when I say I enjoyed it as much as you.”

“Not quite as much as me,” Kurt corrected as he looked down Blaine’s body. “Looks kind of like I’m the only one who had a happy ending. Come here, sweetie – let me take care of you.”

“Mmm nope, I’ve got plans for that. But I need you to act like a typical teenage boy and recover quickly because my plans include you being hard and ready to play again.”

Blaine backed up and got off the bed to pull off his underwear, but Kurt was too quick for him. “Anything involving you undressing is MY job, thank you very much.” He grabbed the waistband of Blaine’s boxer briefs and slowly pulled them down. As his thick cock popped up into view, Kurt’s tongue quickly sneaked out and swirled around the tip.

“FUCK, Kurt! Do you want to end this before it begins?”

“Oh you’ll be fine.” Kurt stood up to wrap his arms around Blaine’s waist, and he yanked him flat against his own body. “I was just feeling like you were too far away.”

“Ugh, to hell with waiting – you are just going to have to catch up with me.” Blaine twirled Kurt around swiftly and tossed him on the bed. He crawled up Kurt’s body and gently lay on top of him.

“It is so unfair how sexy you are, did you know that? You make me hard by just walking in a room, and you make me throb just by opening your mouth to speak or to sing or do any number of things that turn me on. Hell, everything about you turns me on. I don’t know how I even function in public anymore. It seems like every moment I’m AWAKE I’m aroused by you, and most of my dreams are filled with you.”

As he was speaking, Blaine began to thrust his hips up against Kurt’s. Their hard lengths began to slide against each other, creating the much needed friction both boys were seeking. Kurt let out a long low moan. His hips were moving as well, and he was enjoying the effect it had on him. He threaded his fingers through Blaine’s short curls and pulled his head towards him. Kurt needed his lips on his. They made love with their mouths as they writhed about in the bed.

“Oh holy hell Blaine, please tell me you’re close.”

“I’m ready to explode all over us, baby,” he panted. A particularly wild thrust by Blaine scraped his own cock against Kurt’s balls and that was all it took for Kurt. He came immediately, though in smaller weaker streams as he had already gotten his release once that day, but it was no less satisfying. A few thrusts later and Blaine was joining him in bliss, shouting out Kurt’s name in pleasure.

Blaine’s arms gave out, making him collapse on top of Kurt in a heap. Kurt didn’t mind too much; the closeness felt really good.

“Ungh, wow. That just keeps getting better and better,” Blaine said.

“I think it’s because it’s us,” Kurt replied. “I mean, if we were just friends with benefits or something, I’m sure it’d be good, but love just makes being together AMAZING.”

“You are far too philosophical for just having come TWICE now.” Blaine shook his head in wonder.

“What can I say? It was an enlightening experience.”

Blaine chuckled. “You’re a nut.”

“You **love** it,” said Kurt, dragging out the word love.

“Yeah, I do,” Blaine agreed with a grin.

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt kept his promise to talk to Coach Sylvester about the demanding cheer schedule, and to Blaine’s amazement, she scaled back her expectations of Kurt. Kurt figured she might; she knew that Kurt was her ticket to Nationals and if she didn’t make some compromises somewhere, she’d lose him. He still practiced with the squad every non-Glee day after school, but he was home, or at Blaine’s house, by 5:30 each night.

For several weeks, they were content to share several afternoons per week together watching DVDs, or in many cases, ignoring DVDs, curled up together on Blaine’s couch. Or they might go for walks, or hang out with Mercedes, or even simply just study together. Or study each other. Friday nights were still reserved for the Hudmels’ (as Blaine dubbed them once he figured out the relationship naming scheme used by the Glee club) Friday night dinner.

Blaine would go home with Kurt on Fridays, and he had been learning how to cook from Kurt. This benefitted him greatly as previously, when he would be on his own in the evenings, he would eat mac n cheese or ramen noodles – typical bachelor stuff. Now he might grill up a chicken breast (Kurt insisted on giving him a George Foreman grill as a “just because” gift) and eat some frozen veggies with it, and he even knew how to make a simple chicken tortilla soup just by combining six cans of ingredients in a pot and heating it up. Blaine’s life was steadily improving, and he knew it was all because of Kurt.

A couple of times they had met with Pastor James’ at the Lima Bean for coffee and conversation. Kurt enjoyed speaking with him very much, and it was nice to know someone who truly had been there, done that. They shared their “being gay” battle stories and discussed how those incidences changed them and how they learned from them. Once they got such things out of the way, their conversations always turned to gossip, current events, whatever. Pastor James could talk intelligently about anything, which is what Kurt assumed made him a good church leader.

One October evening, Kurt was checking his email while he waited for Blaine to finish up the last few problems on their math assignment. He found an email from Wes entitled “Halloween Party.”

**From: Wes Montgomery** [ **meandmygavel@daltonacademy.edu** ](mailto:meandmygavel@daltonacademy.edu) **  
To: Kurt Hummel** [ **dietcokeislife@gmail.com** ](mailto:dietcokeislife@gmail.com) **  
CC: Blaine Anderson-not-Warbler** [ **mckinleywarbler@gmail.com** ](mailto:mckinleywarbler@gmail.com) **  
Subject: Halloween Party**

_Hey guys – Crawford Country Day and Dalton Academy are holding a joint Halloween masquerade party, Friday Oct. 29 at 7:00pm in the Dalton gymnasium. No theme, just wear a mask. Technically it’s for Dalton and Crawford students only, but neither Trent nor Nick have dates, and they’re willing to step up and call you guys their dates if anyone actually cares, which they won’t. We’d love to see you._

_Wes_

“Ooh ooh ooh! Blaine, honey! We’ve got to go to this! Oh my gosh, what am I going to wear? What are YOU going to wear? I wonder if I’ll have time to make something. I certainly can NOT wear something off the rack. That is absolutely unacceptable for Kurt Hummel. HONEY! Why are you so quiet? Aren’t you excited???”

“Um, Kurt? Sweetie?”

“Yes Blaine?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Kurt harrumphed. “Well there’s no need to swear. Sheesh, grump.”

“You’re still not being any help.” Blaine prompted.

“This email! Wes invited us to the Dalton/Crawford Halloween masquerade party! It’s only two weeks away! I don’t have much time if I’m going to dress myself AND you!” Kurt immediately got distracted by his thoughts again.

_Well, I guess there’s no way to get out of this one. I HATE parties with Crawford Country Day, though. I hate having to turn down all those girls. They just won’t leave me ALONE!_

“Blaine? I’m sorry. I just realized that I didn’t ask you if you even wanted to go. I just kind of assumed that you would. DO you want to go?”

“I would follow you anywhere, Kurt, you know that, but I just hate these parties with Crawford. You saw what happened after the foam party.”

“Oh yeah – how many phone numbers were shoved in your hands?” Kurt mused.

Blaine hummed and pondered, “Um….six?”

“Holy crap, seriously? I thought it was only two!”

“Well, only two girls handed me numbers, but each one had a couple slips of paper in their hands.”

“Oh good lord, maybe we better not go.”

“No no, we’re going. I’m just going to make sure I have you on my arm the whole night.”

Kurt beamed. “Darn right I’ll be with you all night. We are going to dazzle everyone with our fabulosity, too.”

Blaine tilted his head. “Is that even a word?”

“It’s a word if I say it is. I call it Hummelish. The Kurt dialect. Hummelish, the Burt dialect, kinda all sounds like John Mellencamp lyrics.”

“See, this is why I keep you around. You make me laugh,” Blaine said, grinning at Kurt.

“That and I get you off on a regular basis.”

Blaine playfully slapped Kurt on the shoulder. “You be nice, or I’ll insist on coming up with my own costume.”

“Getting you off isn’t nice?”

Blaine zoned out at that moment, just a wee bit, remembering the previous night’s ‘extracurricular activities’. “Oh, that was better than nice, but that’s not the point.” He smirked.

“All right, all right. So Blaine, are you saying you trust me and will give me carte blanche with our costumes?”

“Does it matter? I don’t think you’d give me much choice anyway.”

“This is true.”

Kurt began packing up his school work and making his excuses to leave, saying that if he was to be able to pull off two amazing costumes, he would have to begin immediately. Blaine stood in the doorway watching Kurt bounce out to his car like Tigger on speed. His life was never boring with Kurt around, for sure.


	25. Chapter 25

_Well, this isn’t so bad,_ Blaine thought as he dug through the garment bag that Kurt had set on Blaine’s bed. Kurt had insisted that his costume was more complicated to put on than Blaine’s so he took over the bathroom to have access to the full length mirror.

In the garment bag, Blaine found a simple white collared shirt with a deep v-neck, short blue pants with a red waist, and tall black boots. A note instructing him to look in the side pocket of the bag netted him his container of hair gel, which made him groan because he THOUGHT he was done with the hair gel now that he no longer attended Dalton, and a pair of blue color contacts. He wasn’t sure what to think of the contacts, but he decided it was far easier not to question Kurt and just do as he was told.

It didn’t click with him until he had the entire ensemble on, but he looked in the mirror and discovered that he looked EXACTLY like Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. _Awesome! I love Disney._ But wait a minute… if he looked like Prince Eric, then Kurt…

“Oh holy shit!” Blaine cursed under his breath as his light bulb figuratively flickered on.

“Kurt, honey?”

“Yes Blaine?”

“What is your costume?”

“I’m not telling you. You’ll see it when I’m done. Surely now that you’ve seen yours you have some sort of idea what mine might be.”

“Yeah, I’m kinda hoping for Sebastian, or King Triton, or Flounder.”

Kurt giggled very girlishly from the bathroom, and Blaine knew that what he feared was true. It was one thing to date a guy that sounded like a girl, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to date a guy that would dress like a girl. He shuddered at the thought of dragging Kurt around the Dalton gym wearing nothing but a sparkly green tail and a purple shell bra. He didn’t think he could do it.

“Um, Kurt?”

“Hang on Blaine, I’m almost ready!”

Twiddling his thumbs, Blaine sat on the bed, dreading seeing Kurt in his costume. He knew he would not be able to hide his reaction to his outfit, and he was sure it would crush Kurt.

The door to the bathroom opened and Kurt stepped out. Blaine’s jaw dropped open. His first thought was, “Oh thank you God,” when Kurt stepped out wearing a modest dress and not a mermaid costume. But he was conflicted also. _This is a total mindfuck. How can I be so attracted to him when he looks NOTHING like a boy right now?”_

“Blaine, sweetie, jaw check.”

“Huh?”

“Close your mouth. I know I look incredible, but you’re gonna catch flies with that mouth so wide open, and I am NOT kissing anyone who has fly breath.”

Kurt had thankfully chosen to wear Ariel’s outfit from her scene with Prince Eric in the boat where they were serenaded with the song Kiss the Girl. It was her least flashy outfit: a dress with pale blue sleeves, a navy blue bodice, and a sky blue skirt. Kurt had found a very high quality bright red long haired wig and clipped a disgustingly large light blue bow in the back of it.

“So, what do you think, Blaine? I’ve always thought you looked a lot like Prince Eric. Well, with brown eyes, but I see those contacts fixed that discrepancy beautifully. I miss your big brown eyes already, though. You’ll have to make sure to ditch those contacts right away when we get back so I can have MY Blaine back. Anyway, with Prince Eric, who else could I be but Ariel? I wanted to have the whole flashy glittery sequined green tail, but I thought that might be a little over the top, so I toned it down and went with this dress. You haven’t said what you think yet, Blaine! Spill!”

Blaine hedged, “I don’t know what to think, Kurt. On one hand, you look absolutely amazing, and you look beautiful, but on the other hand, you look absolutely amazing _as a girl_ , and you look beautiful _as a girl_ , and that is screwing with my head. I feel very strange being so attracted to a girl, even if it’s a boy dressed as a girl.”

“Quit listening to your brain. You’re attracted because it’s your heart talking. Your heart knows when mine is nearby, and vice versa. Your heart isn’t seeing the dress; your heart is seeing mine. So quit looking at the girl and look closer, find the things you love about ME, and then the dress won’t be a concern to you.”

Blaine stepped back and took another long look. He took in the blue-green eyes that changed color to reflect his mood and the lighting – the blue dress made them appear especially blue that night, and he was captivated. The biceps were definitely Kurt. He had made sure to make the sleeves on the dress a little loose just to hide the muscles he had developed, but since Blaine knew they were there, he could see them. Blaine loved those arms. His shoulders were broader than one would expect on a girl, and though it wasn’t nearly as pronounced as it was on most men, the Adam’s apple was still there, too. And the full lips, though covered in red lipstick that evening, were lips that Blaine knew well and could never get enough of.

“Thank you, Kurt. I really am seeing you now. And no matter what you’re wearing, the things that make you you are exquisite.”

Kurt blushed at the compliment. “That blush is definitely you, too. No one blushes quite like my Kurt.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said shyly. “So, are you okay with this now? I thought it might be fun to see if anyone figures me out. I won’t be able to talk since during that scene Ursula still has her voice locked up, and I’ll be wearing a mask, so I figured I might be able to fool people.”

“It’s okay, baby, really. I only have one complaint about the outfit.”

Kurt’s face fell just a tiny bit. “What’s that?”

“Lose the heels, would you? I’m short enough as it is!” Blaine groused.

Kurt pouted and teased, “Awww, what’s the matter? Don’tcha like tall girls?”

“I had to dance with girls at church functions when I was a couple years younger and even shorter than I am now. Believe me, if a girl is already taller than me and she’s wearing heels, that puts my face in her boobs, and that is just NOT fucking okay.” He shuddered at the memory. “ _GROSS,”_ he said emphatically.

“Okay, okay. I get it. Point taken. We’ll have to swing by my place on the way out to Dalton, though. I didn’t think about the height issue when I brought these shoes, but I think I have a pair of flat Mary Janes somewhere…”

**xXxXxXx**

“No use hiding behind that mask, Anderson. I know that’s you. I’d know that greasy slicked back hair anywhere.”

“It’s Eric to you, Wes. Or should I say Batman. PRINCE Eric. And this is Ariel.”

Kurt wiggled his fingers at Wes in greeting.

“Where’d you find her? She’s gorgeous!” Wes said to Blaine under his breath.

“She’s a McKinley student. Her friends were off doing other things tonight, so she was going to be home alone otherwise. Kurt was feeling under the weather today, and I needed a date, so I thought I’d bring her here.”

“How do you know Blaine?” Wes asked “Ariel.”

“She doesn’t speak. Ursula has her voice. She traded her voice for a pair of legs so she could dance with me tonight.”

Wes was a bit taken aback, but he decided to play along. “Well, anyway, nice to meet you ‘Ariel.’ Be sure you share with the rest of us, Blaine. She is by far the best looking girl here.”

Kurt’s face colored at Wes’ words. When Wes walked away to greet another friend, Blaine said quietly, “Not bad at all, babe, when you look better than actual girls!”

“I almost feel bad. I feel like I’m breaking some sort of girl code here.”

“You can’t help it if you’re gorgeous! Uh oh – zip your lip, here come some more of the guys.”

Kurt and Blaine spent the better part of the evening dancing and mingling with their friends. Unfortunately for Blaine, they were also fending off many of the Crawford girls’ advances on Blaine. They just couldn’t take a hint.  Kurt and Blaine were finding it easy to keep up with the act they were putting on, though. The only part that was difficult was not being too affectionate with each other. Most of the Dalton students had recognized Blaine by then, and they knew that not only did Blaine NOT like girls in that way, he also had a boyfriend at home that would not take the news of him making out with a girl very well. Somehow, it had never occurred to anyone that Kurt might be underneath the dress and mask.

Suddenly, Blaine caught a twinkle in Wes’ eyes. A twinkle that said he had just figured something out. Wes leaned over and whispered in Jeff’s ear, and Jeff nodded and loped off to a group of Warblers that had congregated across the room.

“Uh oh, Ariel, I do believe the jig is up,” Blaine said softly. “Should be interesting to see what the guys will do with this. Or not – do you want to leave before they do whatever it is they’re going to do?”

Kurt shook his head.

“You want to see what they’re up to, too, huh?”

Kurt nodded. He knew this would probably be good.

And it was. The Warblers all gathered around “Ariel” and “Eric” and began to sing an a cappella arrangement of Kiss the Girl. As Warblers numbers always were, the harmonies and percussion were stunning, and Blaine and Kurt were impressed by their impromptu serenade. Because Blaine was no longer with the group, it seemed that Nick had become his replacement as he took the lead vocals on the song. “He’s awesome,” Blaine commented to Kurt, who nodded in agreement. “Maybe it’s a good thing I’m gone – who knows if the council would have let him sing anything otherwise.”

Kurt shrugged. He had wanted to say something, but there were just too many people around to risk speaking at that moment.

The song was coming to a close, and the Warblers were all urging “Eric” to “kiss the girl.” Blaine decided to play along and leaned in to kiss Kurt when all of a sudden, he and Kurt were shoved. They very nearly landed on the floor in a heap, but both boys were able to save themselves just in time.

“Wes, what the hell?”

Wes grinned evilly. “Your boat tipped over.” Then he lowered his voice and addressed both Blaine and Kurt. “Besides, we all wanted to see if we could get Kurt to talk.”

“You know?” Kurt hissed.

“Nobody figured it out at first. But Blaine screwed up just once. The rest of the Dalton kids and none of the Crawford girls would have noticed it, but we Warblers have spent enough time with you both to know Blaine’s ‘I love you Kurt’ look.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” Kurt whispered worriedly. “I know you Warblers wouldn’t care, but zero tolerance policy or not, I don’t want anyone else figuring out it’s me. I already took a big enough chance dressing like this. I only risked it because I could be anonymous.”

“We all promise we won’t say anything. When I told Jeff to gather up the rest of the guys, I made sure he told everyone else that this was top secret.”

Kurt smiled. “Thanks Wes. I’m glad we’re all still friends, even after I stole your lead soloist. Nick’s amazing, by the way.”

“Agreed.” Wes grinned, “After we were forced to really take a good listen to the other guys, we finally figured that out, too. Nick will do well for us.”

“Well, Kurt,” said Blaine. “At the end of this Halloween shindig, it’s tradition for everyone to remove their masks and out themselves to the crowd. Shall we get moving so we can avoid that part?”

“Yes, please. I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

They made the rounds to say goodbye and Kurt again went silent just long enough for them to get out to the car. Kurt made up for his three speechless hours by singing at the top of his lungs the entire drive home. Blaine refrained from joining in on Gaga and opted not to torture Kurt with endless Katy Perry, but when Kurt switched it to his Disney Duets playlist, they belted out those tunes together the rest of the way.

They reached Blaine’s home, where Kurt was staying overnight, and decided that they would just get changed and go straight to bed. Blaine came up behind Kurt and unzipped the dress, taking a moment to softly kiss each of his shoulder blades and nuzzle his neck before sending him off to the bathroom to do whatever he needed to do to turn back into a boy again. Since Blaine’s outfit was regular clothing, it took him all of five seconds to strip and toss on a pair of University of Michigan sleep pants. It took him a moment more to pull out the blue color contacts and put those away properly. After carefully folding the pieces of his costume, because of course Kurt would kill him if he tossed them on the floor like he normally would, he crawled into bed and turned out the light.

Kurt came out of the bathroom about ten minutes later, freshly scrubbed and looking like himself again. He lay down in front of Blaine, his back to Blaine’s chest, taking the place of little spoon for the night. Blaine snuggled up close to him and reached his hands around to Kurt’s chest. Feeling something strange, Blaine felt around a little more. Realization hit him. “Eeew, Kurt, you still have breasts!”

Kurt giggled, and Blaine knew he had left them on on purpose.

“Boobs,” he said disgustedly. “ _GROSS.”_


	26. Chapter 26

Mr. Schue grabbed his favorite marker and wrote one word on the white board. SECTIONALS.

“Okay folks, sectionals is two weeks away. It’s time to nail down our final set list. Does anyone have any ideas?”

“Back at the beginning of the school year we talked about Blaine doing _Anthem_. Is that still a go?” asked Kurt.

“What do you think, Blaine? That WAS pretty spectacular,” said Mr. Schuester.

Blaine thought about it for a moment. “I still kind of feel like I’m rubbing it in the Warblers’ faces a bit. But it felt good singing it. I’ll do it if you guys want me to.”

“Show of hands. All in favor?”

Everyone raised their hands immediately and enthusiastically, except for Rachel. As usual, she was sulking because she wasn’t the one singing the solo. One well executed bitch brow from Kurt made Rachel quickly raise her hand with the rest.

“A unanimous decision. Congratulations, Blaine. You’ll be wonderful.”

“I think it might be kind of fun if our set list was made up of songs from musicals,” Tina said.

Mr. Schuester nodded thoughtfully. “We could do that. There’s tons of great stuff to choose from. Anyone have anything to add?”

Finn spoke up. “Mr. Schue, I don’t have a problem with it, but can we try to pick some things that aren’t TOO musical-y, too? There’s got to be some stuff that doesn’t reek of Broadway that the rest of us guys would like.”

Puck fiddled with his phone for a moment. “I’ve got a great song idea.” He put his phone into the dock that was in the room and cranked up the volume.

_Finally, I get to teach a whole lesson, all by myself!  
I'm going to teach something relevant, something modern.   
The Internet!_

Lauren’s face broke out into a huge grin. Kurt whispered, “ _Oh no he didn’t…”_ Finn and Brittany merely looked confused. A flicker of recognition crossed Rachel’s face, which was immediately replaced with anger.

Mr. Schuester knew the song as well and attempted to get Puck to turn it off, but the group was having too much fun. _The Internet is For Porn_ from Avenue Q was just too hilarious. Someone would sing a line, and then everyone joined together to sing the words FOR PORN in unison. Mr. Schue then just gave up and said, “I think Brad and I will just leave the room for a few and let you guys get this out of your system,” but no one heard him. Apparently a song about porn was of great interest to a group of 17 and 18 year olds.

_All these guys unzip their flies  
For porn, porn, porn!_

The girls, the ones who had a sense of humor anyway, were all laughing so hard they couldn’t sing along anymore. The guys, save for Kurt and Blaine, were all singing at the tops of their lungs, harmonizing when appropriate, and dancing around lewdly. Blaine was trying to embarrass Kurt by singing especially suggestive parts in his ear. And Rachel just sulked. She added Eeew and GROSS a few times, but it was hard to tell whether she was saying Kate Monster’s lines along with the recording, or if she was generally offended by the song. They were all betting on the latter, which egged them on even more, because it was fun to annoy Rachel.

_The internet is for  
Internet is for   
Internet is for PORN!   
YEAH!_

Again, with the exception of Rachel, the entire group was laughing and lamenting the face that they couldn’t possibly, by any stretch of the imagination, get away with singing this song in competition, or even outside the choir room walls. Technically it shouldn’t have even been sung there, but thankfully Mr. Schuester was cool.

Mr. Schue re-entered the room, with Brad trailing behind him. “I hear the song is over. Are we ready to TRY to be mature adults now long enough to get this set list decided?”

“Yes Mr. Schuester,” the group chorused in unison.

After tossing around dozens upon dozens of song names, the final choices fit into their musicals them and had many opportunities for each member to have a moment. To satisfy the guys’ need to have a song that didn’t scream “musical,” they chose a piece from Rock of Ages that was made up of the songs Heaven, More than Words, and To Be With You. Typically in this musical, the opening song More Than Words would be sung by a woman, but since the song was originally done by two men, and in the 80s, no less, Finn was given the lead. Puck would join him on harmonies as well as play the guitar. Then Santana and Mercedes would take over the female lines of To Be With You, and Artie would sing lead on Heaven, with the rest of the New Directions covering the harmonies throughout the piece. After one run through, it was already crazy good, so they were all excited to perfect it and make it incredible.

The other piece would be the finale from Les Miserables.  Originally they had considered just singing Do You Hear the People Sing, but doing the finale ensured that the girls would have more chances to sing, too. At the beginning of the finale, Kurt was ValJean, Rachel was Cosette, Quinn was Fantine, Tina was Eponine, and Sam was Marius. Then the entire group joined together to sing a few lines of Do You Hear the People Sing.

At the end of the day, ten out of the thirteen Glee club members would be singing at sectionals. Lauren and Mike were not the group’s best singers, and though Brittany sang well, she didn’t mind that there wasn’t a solo for her. Dance was her main passion. It had worked out perfectly, and Kurt was beaming. He had spoken with the club awhile back about his opinions that everyone should be actively included and allowed to showcase their talents, and it appeared that his ideas were being taken to heart.

Kurt and Blaine were walking to the parking lot after rehearsal broke up for the day, and Blaine couldn’t help notice the satisfied smile on Kurt’s face.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked Kurt.

“They’re worth a whole dime today, Blaine!” he enthused.

Blaine laughed. “Okay, my expensive diva, dime for your thoughts?”

“Oh, I’m just happy that a) people finally listened to me, and b) my friends are finally being heard. We weren’t quite Blaine and the Pips, but we were getting close. It was usually the Finchel show, and though they’re wonderful, our sound never changes. I think we’re gonna knock people over right out of the gate at Sectionals!”

“I think you’re right. The Warblers aren’t going to know what hit them,” said Blaine softly. He still sort of felt like a traitor.

Kurt playfully slapped Blaine on the shoulder. “Snap out of it! When the Warblers lose, we know it won’t be because they suck, it’ll be because we rock more.”

Blaine perked up. “Yeah, I know. I feel bad because my friends won’t be going to Nationals again this year, but I’m excited ‘cause WE WILL!”

“You know it!”

“Are we hanging out together tonight?” Blaine wondered.

“No, I need to get in some father son bonding with Dad. I know he considers you and Finn his, too, but occasionally I need my dad alone. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I’m happy that you have a relationship with your dad. Just promise me I can join you for some Burt time soon?”

“Absolutely. We’ll figure something out.”

When they arrived at the parking lot, they moved to go their separate ways. Before they shared their usual good night kiss, Blaine thought of something.

“Hey baby? Where would be a good place to get a job around here? The money from my parents won’t last forever and I do have some rent to pay Mrs. Christopherson. I have the money to pay her, but I should replenish it.”

Kurt thought it over for a minute. “You know how to work on cars, right?”

“I wouldn’t call myself a qualified mechanic, but I can do basic stuff, yes.”

“Talk to my dad. He might be able to take you on for some of the more routine stuff.”

“Really? That’s a great idea. Thanks Kurt, I’ll talk to him.”

Eager to get to the goodnight kisses, Blaine reached his arms around Kurt and grabbed his butt. Kurt jumped in surprise because he didn’t expect the random groping (though he should have – this WAS Blaine, after all), but he immediately greedily accepted a kiss. Kurt found himself pressed against the Navigator and felt himself stirring. Reluctantly he pulled away. “I’m sorry Blaine, we should probably stop. I don’t want to promise you anything I can’t deliver tonight.”

“Awww,” Blaine pouted. “I understand, though. I appreciate you not making my balls bluer than necessary.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I will see you at my locker in the morning?”

“You know it. I love you Kurt.”

“I love you too Blaine. See you tomorrow!”

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt followed the sounds of the evening’s broadcast of Sportscenter to the family room where he found his father sprawled out in his recliner, engrossed in the TV.

“Dad? Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Slowly peeling his eyes off the screen, Burt snapped out of his sports-induced haze and blinked at his son. “Um, sure, Kurt, sure. This isn’t one of those talks where I need to go hunt down some more pamphlets, is it?”

Kurt flushed and chuckled. “No, Dad, somehow I think this talk will be a little easier for both of us in that respect. Though I have a feeling it may be kind of tough for me.”

“Is everything okay with you and Blaine?”

“Yes, Dad. It’s all fine. Wonderful, in fact. The Blaine part of my life is everything I could hope for at the moment. But this does involve him, somewhat.”

“Well, let’s get on with it. Spill.”

“Um, okay. You know how Blaine and I have been planning on attending college in New York, and how I’ve been planning to try to get into Broadway? Well, only part of that is true now.”

“You don’t want to go to New York?”

“I don’t want to go to college.”

Burt shot out of his seat. “What?? Kurt, why? I thought you always wanted to go to Juilliard.”

“I did. But I would be there to learn about singing and music performance and theatre – all things I know about already. Kids can break into Broadway without that kind of schooling. At the end of the day, it takes talent to make it. Talent which I’d like to find out if I have.”

“But it’s still schooling, Kurt. You are so smart, you’re one of the brightest kids I’ve ever met. I’d hate to see you not go to college. It’s practically required to have a post-high school education these days if you don’t want to have to work fast food. Heck, even I went to college.”

“Yes, you did, Dad. But you make a good living without using your education. You built the garage from the ground up with drive, determination, hands-on experience, and your own two hands, not with your education. I know my choice of career and yours are about as different as they can be, but the whole situation is pretty similar. College will get in my way of pounding the pavement, going to auditions, and whatnot.”

“What does Blaine think of all this?”

“Blaine would be supportive of nearly anything I chose to do as long as it wasn’t harmful to myself or others, as I would be of any of his ambitions. But he doesn’t plan to go to school either. You wouldn’t think so with how well he does in school, but he HATES it. He lives and breathes his music. He plans on doing much the same thing as me – using his time to play open mic nights, book paying gigs, go to auditions, and anything else he can do to get himself noticed.”

“And how do you two plan on surviving out there in New York? New York is expensive. It’s my job to support you while you’re living under my roof, and I don’t mind doing it, but I can’t maintain two houses, especially when one of them is in New York.”

“We’ve both got savings, Dad. My wardrobe may be fabulous and may look like it costs a mint, but I’m really good at finding bargains. And I’ve really toned down my spending since Blaine and I originally talked about going to school in New York last school year.”

“I’ve noticed. I’m pretty sure I saw you wear something twice.”

“Oh shut it, you,” Kurt scolded his father. “And of course we’ll work. Any gigs Blaine gets will most likely be at night, and he can find a job that works around anything during daylight hours. And any auditions I go to will be during the day, but New Yorkers are used to performers – there must be something I can do that’s flexible enough to work around me.”

Burt nodded, not at all convinced.

Kurt went on. “But really, Dad, this is what we both want. You were allowed to make your own mistakes in your life, and Blaine and I need to do the same thing. We are not afraid of hard work or of being broke. We want just two things out of life in New York: the chance to realize our dreams, and to be together.”

Burt shook his head, knowing that nothing he could say would change the mind of his headstrong son. “I can’t say I approve 100% of your plans, because I don’t. I think it’s a hell of a risk you’re taking, not going to school, and going to a strange city with nothing but your dreams in your back pocket, but I do understand why you need to go. I love you, Kurt. I love you both. I know you both will have regrets the rest of your lives if you don’t at least try. So while I’m not giving you my approval, I am giving you my blessing. I know you don’t technically need either since by the time you go you will officially be an adult and not needing your old man anymore – “

“Dad, I am always going to need you. Maybe not in the same ways, but there will never be a day when I don’t need you.”

“That means everything to me to hear you say that, Kurt. But I’m just saying… I hope it helps to know that while I may not be able to financially support you, I will be there with you in spirit as your cheerleader. But promise me one thing, please.”

Kurt looked expectantly at his father.

“Please promise me that if, after a couple of years, you’re still not where you want to be, you will consider going to school and getting some sort of degree? In this day and age, it’s damn hard to support yourself anyway. Everyone should have something to fall back on.”

Kurt nodded, thinking that it was a good idea and that it sounded entirely reasonable. “I will, Dad. I don’t know for what, but I think you’re right that I should.”

“For what it’s worth, I hope you won’t need to do that. I would love to see the Hummel name on the largest marquee in New York City.”

Kurt exhaled loudly, picturing that in his head. “Wouldn’t that be a sight?” he asked.

Burt clapped Kurt on the back and said, “It sure would. Obviously I wouldn’t be able to come for everything you do, but your first big role, make sure you save a few prime seats for me and Carole and Finn, okay?”

Kurt grinned. “Absolutely, Dad.”

Kurt and Burt hugged, and the two sat on the couch with Kurt snuggled into his father’s arm to finish watching the rest of Burt’s program together.

**xXxXxXx**

The next afternoon while Kurt was off getting tortured by Sue Sylvester at Cheerios practice, Blaine stopped in at Hummel Tire and Lube to talk to Burt.

“Hey Blaine, hand me that carburetor, would you?”

Blaine scanned the table of parts. He found the correct one and handed it to Burt.

“Very good, Blaine. I didn’t expect you to know which part was which.”

Blaine shrugged, “I spent a summer restoring a classic car with my father. I very quickly gained a basic understanding of what parts look like, what they do, and where they go.”

“So, what can I do for you, Blaine? Is Kurt here?”

“No, he’s at Cheerios practice, but he suggested I come here and talk to you. I am looking for a job so I can make my rent without having to dig too much into the money my parents paid me, and so I can put some money away for when we move to New York.”

“Kurt talked to me about that last night. Are you boys absolutely certain about your decision to put off college, Blaine? I must admit, this turn of events wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for Kurt. I always knew he’d be on a stage somewhere, but I kind of thought it would be after he got his education.”

Blaine nodded, understanding where the anxious father was coming from. “Well, it’s not as if college is completely out of the question for us. We agreed that we’d try our idea for a year or so, and then after a year, we’d reevaluate and see where we are in meeting our goals. We are both very driven people. If we don’t make it big in New York like we want to, it won’t be because we are lazy or afraid to work. It’ll be because either the opportunities aren’t there, or that we just don’t have what it takes.”

Burt smiled proudly. “Oh, you boys both have what it takes, I think. I’ve never met anyone as talented as either of you. You are both major forces to be reckoned with.”

“Thank you.” Blaine smiled in return. “My family was never quite appreciative of my talent, except where they could use it to impress their friends. But don’t worry. Well, don’t worry TOO much, anyway, since I know you will regardless of anything I may say. I promise that neither one of us will let it get to the point where we’re living in a Frigidaire carton in a dark alley somewhere. And speaking of a home in New York and how to pay for it, that brings me back to my original question. Is there any work here for me?” Blaine asked hopefully.

Burt thought for a moment. “Well, we do have more work as it gets colder. Cars get fussier, people want basic maintenance performed before they go on long trips for the holidays, and my employees want time off to be with their families. What if I gave you some work doing oil changes and tire rotations after school and on Saturdays?”

“That sounds wonderful. We’ve got Glee rehearsal twice a week, but I could do the other three days plus any time on Saturday – Kurt and I can always hang out together on Glee days and Sundays.”

 Burt nodded, “Works for me, kid. Tomorrow is Saturday, so why don’t you come over at about 8? We’ll make it a shorter day for your first day to get you into the swing of things, and then if it goes well, you can start a regular work schedule on what, Tuesday?”

“Yes, we rehearse Mondays and Thursdays after school.”

“All right then, I’ll see you tomorrow at 8. I’m sure you’ll be talking to Kurt tonight. He’ll probably go insane and want to make you your own set of coveralls that look like his, but he’ll loan you his ‘til they’re ready. Don’t fight it, you won’t win. Just let him.”

Blaine laughed loudly. “That sounds like him. Thank you so much, Burt. To tell you the truth, I’m not only looking forward to the work, but I’m glad to be out of my house, too. I get lonely hanging around by myself all afternoon.”

“You do know you can just come over to the house and hang out with whoever is there even when Kurt’s not home, right?”

“Kurt’s mentioned it, yes, but it’s nice to hear it from you.”

Burt looked at Blaine firmly, “You are always welcome, Blaine. I mean it.” His statement was filled with genuine sincerity.

“Again, thank you.” Blaine gave Burt a hug, careful to avoid the fresher looking grease spots on his uniform. “I’ll see you in the morning!”

Blaine got outside and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick text to Kurt.

**_Baby – thanks for the lead, Burt gave me a job. He said to see you about some coveralls? Love you, B_ **

He got a text back immediately.

**_Already made you your own set. I had a feeling you’d eventually work with Dad :) I will send them to work with him for you. Love you too, K_ **

Blaine shook his head and chuckled. He should have known…

**xXxXxXx**

Blaine trudged into his house sore and exhausted early Saturday morning after working with Burt for five hours. It was an extremely busy day for routine maintenance, so there was a lot of work for Blaine to do. Luckily for him, even though he hadn’t worked on a car in a couple of years, it all came back to him very quickly and Burt was pleased with the quality of his work so Blaine was set off on his own very quickly. Tossing tires around and bending over underneath the hoods of cars made his back and joints achy. He was also covered in grease despite the coveralls Kurt had made.

The coveralls were a bit of a surprise. Blaine had been a wee bit skeptical, not knowing what to expect from Kurt, but he was very happy to discover that Kurt made him a very practical uniform. He would have to thank him later for not embellishing it at all.

**\--*knock knock*--**

Blaine sighed. He was very close to just ignoring whoever was at the door, but seeing as how he had JUST walked in the door, he figured it was a very real possibility that they had seen him come in the door and knew he was home. Just as he was about to turn and open the door, he heard keys rattling and the door unlock. Kurt stepped in and greeted Blaine warmly.

“Hi sweetie, how was your first day?”

“Hey baby. It was good, really good. The work is decent and your dad is a good guy to work for. I’m pretty sore just because I’m not used to it, and I’m pretty sure I have grease in places that grease shouldn’t have been able to reach, but it was a good day, Kurt. Thanks for suggesting that I ask your dad.”

“Awww, you’re welcome, but you did it all yourself. And I came over because I remember my first day of working in the garage. I was really achy and tired, too. I thought you might want some help relaxing,” he said suggestively.

Blaine groaned. He was so tired, but Kurt was so sexy…

“Ungh. Kurt, you know I always want you, but – “

Kurt wasn’t fazed, “Shhh. Why don’t we just start off with a shower? I can help you reach all those spots where grease shouldn’t be but is, and then after that we can do anything you want. If that’s a nice long nap, then that’s what you’ll have.”

Blaine hesitated. He wasn’t sure he was even up for standing in the shower long enough to get clean, but he didn’t want to get his bed all dirty, either.

“Okay, I’m game. Just don’t be offended if I get all sleepy on you.”

“I won’t, Blaine. I just want to make you feel good, okay?”

Kurt didn’t wait for a reply and scurried off to the bathroom with a shopping bag in hand. Blaine heard the water turn on and things clattering. He wasn’t sure what Kurt was up to, but with him around, it could be just about anything.

“Come on in, Blaine! The water is ready for you!”

Blaine stopped in his room long enough to disrobe, and then he headed into the bathroom.

“Awww, you already took your clothes off.” He pouted. “I wanted to do that!”

Blaine attempted a tired smirk, “Sorry Kurt, maybe next time.”

“As long as you promise there will be a next time, I will forgive you today. Go on, get under the water.”

Blaine obeyed and entered the shower stall. The water was already hot and steamy, so he got under the spray and just stood enjoying the heat on his back. He tilted his head back to wet his hair at about the same time as Kurt stepped into the shower.

“God Blaine, the sight of water streaming down your neck just makes me want to lick it.”

Blaine may have been exhausted, but there was one part of his body that was eager to show its appreciation for that licking idea. _Down, boy,_ he thought. He had absolutely no energy for Blaine Jr.’s needs today.

“Awww, you’re happy to see me!”

“Uh, Kurt? Just look at you. Who WOULDN’T be happy to see you looking like that?”

“I could say the same thing.” Kurt began busying himself with a bottle of scented body wash from Bath and Body Works and a shower pouf. “Now turn around, Blaine. Let me take care of you.”

Kurt squeezed a generous amount of the scented soap out onto the pouf and began gently scrubbing Blaine’s body with it. Beginning with his neck, Kurt started a pattern of cleaning an area and then softly kissing it as he finished. Despite feeling wiped out, Kurt’s close attention to every part of his body was causing Blaine to make delicious noises that were music to Kurt’s ears.

Kurt kept telling himself, _This is all for Blaine. There will be no mutually satisfying shenanigans today._

Finishing up with Blaine’s back and arriving at his rear end, Kurt decided to spend a little extra time there. He gently squeezed the firm cheeks and teasingly ran his finger along Blaine’s crack, which caused him to jump and tense a bit. Blaine wasn’t at all opposed to that kind of touch, but it did surprise him, especially when Kurt had implied that he was going to behave. Kurt grinned and added a quick nibble to his kiss and quickly moved on to Blaine’s legs and feet. Kurt skipped the kisses for Blaine’s feet, but he did tickle the backs of Blaine’s knees, which made him giggle adorably, Kurt thought.

Kurt spun Blaine around so his back to the spray of the water, and he grabbed the bottle of shampoo. Kurt had insisted on replacing Blaine’s generic bottle for a formula designed specifically for managing curly hair. He swore it would make a difference, and while Blaine didn’t see it, Kurt noticed. His hair was so much softer and so much harder for Kurt to resist running his fingers through it. He carefully worked the shampoo through Blaine’s hair, making sure not to let the suds drip into his eyes.

Blaine was getting turned on just from the feeling Kurt poured into each move he made. Kurt wasn’t just cleaning him, he was declaring his love for him. Kurt finished rubbing the soap through his hair and lightly pressed his own lips to Blaine’s. He pulled back and said, “Tilt your head back, honey, and I’ll rinse your head.” When the water ran clear, Kurt grabbed the pouf again and began his trip down the front of Blaine’s body. He was unable to resist the licks to Blaine’s neck that he had threatened earlier, and he gently bit at Blaine’s collarbone on his way past. He thoroughly scrubbed the day’s dirt and sweat off Blaine’s chest and lowered his lips to Blaine’s nipples. Swirls of the tongue and whisper soft kisses caused them to pebble, much to Kurt’s delight. After spending a little more time there than any other body part so far, Kurt decided he had had enough of teasing Blaine and completed his work rather quickly, purposely avoiding one specific area.

Kurt turned Blaine into the water to rinse his front, and Blaine said breathlessly, “I think you missed a spot.”

Kurt smiled. “No, I didn’t. I just need to approach that spot at a different angle to… um…cleanse it properly.”

Kurt stood behind Blaine and rested his chin on Blaine’s broad shoulder. He put an extra dollop of body wash in his hands and reached around to firmly grasp Blaine’s cock. The moment Kurt’s hands made contact, Blaine let out a long, low moan.

“Make sure you clean me there really well, Kurt. I have a feeling I will be extra _dirty_ very soon.”

Kurt couldn’t hide his own groan from Blaine, and Blaine grinned proudly. It was so fun to make Kurt make those incredibly sexy noises just for him. Kurt bit, licked, and kissed Blaine on the neck and behind the ear as he stroked Blaine with one hand and washed his balls with the other. Kurt was enjoying himself so much that his own erection had grown and was rubbing against Blaine’s ass crack.

“Kurt, baby, grind your cock against my ass. Make yourself come. I can feel you, I know you need it.”

Blaine leaned over slightly and braced himself against the tiled shower wall while Kurt’s hips moved rhythmically against Blaine and his hands moved faster on Blaine’s cock. Blaine felt the familiar tingle in his groin and knew he was about done for. “Kurt, baby, I’m gonna come.”

Panting, Kurt replied, “I’m almost there, too.”

Blaine turned his head as far as he could so he would be kissing Kurt as he exploded. He climaxed all over Kurt’s delicate hands. When he was finished, he held Kurt’s hands up to the water to clean them off.

He frowned when he realized Kurt hadn’t come yet but he had stopped moving against him. “Come on, baby. Rub yourself all over me. You know you want to. Just think of how good it will feel when your cock is IN my ass instead of just rubbing up against it.”

 _Oh my God, dirty talking Blaine is insanely hot,_ Kurt thought. The mental picture Blaine gave him was enough to send him into the powerful orgasm he was chasing. Blaine felt several splashes of warm and wet against his ass and lower back.

“Mmm, did that feel good, babe? You sure made me feel amazing.”

“Your dirty talk will be the death of me one of these days, Blaine,” said Kurt, attempting to catch his breath.

They cleaned each other up and stood kissing, arms wrapped as tightly around each other as they could manage, for several minutes until the water began to run cool. Kurt turned off the water and handed Blaine an oversized fluffy towel to dry himself with while he grabbed one of his own. Declaring them both dry enough, Blaine pulled Kurt out of the bathroom to his bed and climbed in. Kurt slid in next to him. He had intended to give Blaine a deep tissue massage after their shower, but there was no way Blaine would stay awake long enough for him to even get the massage oils out, let alone enjoy any of it.

Blaine curled himself into Kurt’s side tightly and fell asleep almost immediately. Kurt took a few moments to gaze upon his beautiful boyfriend, wondering for about the millionth time how he had gotten so lucky to have this angel in his life, and he drifted off several minutes later with a contented smile on his face.


	27. Chapter 27

“So, Blaine, how are your cooking lessons with Kurt going?” Carole asked. She, Kurt, and Blaine were in the kitchen, working on preparing the Thanksgiving meal.  Well, the former two were, anyway. The latter was just sitting there looking confused.

“Well, Kurt has been trying really hard with me, but I’m not very good at cooking overall. I can cook myself a quick dinner, but things go wrong when I attempt anything complicated.” He looked down at his hands in embarrassment. He had been trying, but he had produced a few kitchen disasters lately.

“Blaine?” Kurt said. Blaine slowly looked up from his hands at Kurt. “You’re doing fine. You’re trying, at the very least, which is more than I can say for Finn. It’s okay if you aren’t very good at it. You are so good at so many other things.”

Blaine cracked a small smile. “Thanks Kurt. That makes me feel better.”

Carole smiled at her boys. “Like Kurt said, it’s okay. Would you like to help with something simple like the vegetables? Or would you like to commit yourself to dish duty later with Finn? Everyone helps. Kurt and I cook, Burt sets the table and helps serve, and Finn washes up afterward by himself until Kurt comes in and makes sure he’s doing it right and then inevitably takes over for him because he’s not.” Kurt began to argue but she gave him a quick “Mom” glance. “Don’t even try to tell me you don’t. How else do you explain my gravy boat ending up in the right spot in the cabinet every time? No way would Finn know where that goes. Or your dad, for that matter.”

“Well, at least this year if Blaine helps Finn I can PROBABLY rest easier.  The boy can wash a mean dish.”

Blaine laughed. “I’d be happy to help with the dishes. I’d feel more comfortable not being responsible for the edibility of the meal.”

“Sounds good, honey.” Kurt leaned over to give Blaine a quick kiss on the cheek. “Why don’t you go ahead and watch football with Dad and Finn? I know you can do that well.”

“Ha ha, babe. You’re so very funny.”

Blaine joined Burt and Finn to watch the game until dinner was served. Burt left the game a couple of times, first to set the table, then to bring food to the table as they were ready. Very shortly afterward, Kurt came to the living room and announced that dinner was served. “If you can beat Finn to the table, you might actually get some food before he inhales it all.”

“Hey!” Finn protested. “I’m a growing boy.”

“Look at you,” said Kurt. “Do you really need to grow any more?”

Finn huffed and flounced into the dining room. “It is so easy to rile Finn up. That’s why I do it.” Kurt grinned.

Blaine held out his elbow for Kurt. “Shall we?”

Kurt linked his arm with Blaine’s. “We shall.”

They gathered at the table with Burt at the head, Carole at the foot, Finn on one side, and Blaine and Kurt along the other. Not knowing what the protocol for a major holiday meal was in this family, Blaine remained silent and kept his hands in his lap until he knew what he should do.

Burt began to speak. “So, last year we began the tradition of saying what we were thankful for before the Thanksgiving meal. It’s kind of cheesy, yes, I admit it, but at the same time it puts life into perspective a bit, so I’d like to do it again this year.

“I am thankful for an amazing first year of being married to Carole and being a father figure for Finn. I am thankful as always for my amazing son Kurt and how well he takes care of me. And this year, we have a new family member to be thankful for: Blaine. I first began to see Kurt change for the better when he became friends with you, Blaine, but I didn’t see him truly come alive again until you guys got together. To see Kurt smile and mean it means everything to me. Thank you, Blaine.”

Blaine felt himself get choked up and his eyes began to water. Carole’s speech was very similar to Burt’s, and Finn was thankful for football, Glee, his family, and the fact that he made it another year without offing Rachel. Everyone had a chuckle at that, but Kurt was the one who truly laughed, as he understood what a feat NOT killing Rachel Berry was. When she was being a friend, she was a very good friend, but if she got into one of her moods? Well, you were alerting your lawyer ahead of time and making arrangements for bail money.

“I will try to keep this short, as you are all painfully aware of how dramatic I can be when I want to be,” Kurt began, the entire table laughing at his words. “Dad, you were, and still are, my first best friend and an amazing father. I’m lucky to have you. Carole, for the first time in years I have a positive female influence in my life, and I needed that. Sometimes, as much as dads are wonderful, you just need a mom. I’m lucky to have you, too. Finn, we may have started out rough, but I’m so glad our relationship has evolved to the point where we are a team and have each other’s backs. I’m lucky to have you. And Blaine, I’ll always be thankful for the Glee guys sending me to go spy on the Warblers, because if I hadn’t, I’d’ve never met you, and the thought of that now is heartbreaking. My life was good before, but now it’s amazing. I’m not just lucky, I’m truly blessed to have you. I love you, Blaine. I love all of you.”

Finally, it was Blaine’s turn. “Man, how do I follow that up? Note to self – never follow Kurt ‘cause he’ll make you look bad.” Kurt playfully punched Blaine on the shoulder. “Let’s see. I started this year thinking that my relationship with my parents was relatively decent. Not perfect, but decent – we got along okay, did things together, you know, functioned as a family unit. I had no clue that things were totally false until I came out and the façade came crumbling down. To have a family waiting who would take me in, to WANT me and adopt me as theirs, well, that means everything to me. It makes me feel like as long as I have Kurt by my side and you guys behind us all the way, we can do anything.” Blaine stood up from the table and went around the room hugging each person tightly and telling them “I love you.” Kurt and Carole were openly crying, Burt’s eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, and even Finn was silent and refusing to make eye contact. Blaine made his way back to Kurt and wrapped his arms tightly around him. He whispered, “You are my entire world,” in his ear and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

“Can we eat now? All this emotion makes me hungry enough to eat a horse. Raw,” declared Finn.

“Oh eew, gross, Finn!” Kurt wrinkled his nose.

“Yes, yes, go ahead and serve up,” Carole said as she rolled her eyes at her son.

The food was passed around the table – miraculously, Blaine and Kurt managed to wrestle full plates worth of food away from the bottomless pit that sat across from them – and the conversation flowed freely. Blaine held Kurt’s right hand with his own left hand. Kurt was mostly coordinated enough to eat his meal left-handed, but on the few occasions where he needed to cut something or he was having trouble keeping his food on his fork, Blaine fed it to Kurt himself.

“You guys are so sweet I’m developing diabetes over here,” Finn complained.

“Shut up, Finn,” Kurt and Blaine said in unison.

Carole and Burt just laughed. Normally Carole would have chastised them, but really, Finn asked for that.

Kurt had wanted Blaine to stay overnight with him, but Blaine declined. He knew that Kurt was planning on hitting the Black Friday sales well before the asscrack of dawn the next morning and he wanted no part of it. He was cool with shopping, but standing outside in the cold at 3am in November in Ohio was not Blaine’s idea of a good time.

“I’ll come over tomorrow night, then, and stay with you.” Kurt pouted.

Blaine sighed. “Burt’s opening up the garage for a few hours in the morning – I’ll have to get up early for work.”

“That’s fine. I will make sure you get a good breakfast. I can just double what I make for Dad and send it in with him.”

“Thank you, Kurt. You take such good care of me.”

“I try. I’ll be done with Mercedes probably by lunch time. I will bring some food and stop by a Redbox on my way there for something for us to watch while we eat, okay?”

“Perfect. Love you, Kurt.”

“Love you too, Blaine. Be safe driving home.”

They kissed chastely but meaningfully, and Blaine drove home, already looking forward to seeing Kurt the next day.

**xXxXxXx**

At about 10am the next day, Kurt knocked hesitantly on the door of Pastor James’ office at the Westerville Community Church. Kurt had purposely told Blaine he would not be ready until after noon that day so he would have time to make the drive to see Pastor James secretly. The door was cracked open just a bit, just enough for Kurt to be able to see that Pastor James was in. He was frowning at something on his computer.

“All right, you stupid thing. You gonna tell me where you hid my document? Or did you eat it for breakfast like you do everything else?” He flipped the bird at his screen, which caused Kurt to giggle out loud.

Pastor James spun around to see who had caught him being naughty. “Oh hi, Kurt,” he said, a bit embarrassed. “You didn’t see that, right?”

“See what?” Kurt asked innocently.

“I knew I could count on you.”

“Believe me, I do and say worse things to mine than that hand gesture. Computers were put on this earth to make me furious.” Kurt giggled.

“Ain’t that the truth?” Pastor James got up from his desk and walked around to give Kurt a hug. “Always good to see you, Kurt. What brings you here?”

“Well, I had an idea that I wondered if you could help me with. It’s unlikely to work, but I’d like to give it a shot if you’re willing.”

“Hit me with it, let’s see what you got.”

“Okay. Well, as you know, when Blaine’s parents kicked him out, they wouldn’t let him take any of his stuff with him. He’s slowly replaced the things he has considered essentials, but he’s being frugal and just doing without some things. Which is great, of course. Responsibility is important. But one thing he hasn’t yet replaced is his guitar. He misses it badly. He hasn’t said anything because he is a major grin and bear it kind of guy, but he sees the other guys with their own guitars in Glee club rehearsal, and I always catch him looking at them. I want to get him one, but first, I would like to see if there is any hope getting HIS guitar back.”

Pastor James nodded thoughtfully. “I see. And you’d like me to try talking to his parents?”

“Could you?” Kurt asked hopefully. “I mean, are you still in their good graces? I suppose this would all be moot if they know about you and how you weren’t actually trying to make Blaine straight.”

“I don’t think they suspected anything. I sure didn’t offer them any information. When they asked, all I said was that he was still gay and didn’t have any plans to try to change that.”

Kurt was hopeful. “So you might actually be able to get them to talk to you?”

“I don’t see why not. It kind of all depends on which story you want me to use, though.”

“So you’ll do it?” Kurt said, bouncing up and down in his chair.

“If I think I can make it work, I will give it a try.” Kurt squealed. “A TRY, Kurt. I can’t guarantee anything. But we’ll see how it goes. Now, what should our story be?”

“I’m just thinking simple. The best ones are always as close to the truth as possible. Tell them you figured that they might still have some of Blaine’s musical instruments, and the congregation is in need of them. The guitar specifically. Maybe if necessary, you could say one of the younger members doesn’t have a lot of money and needs a good one. The only thing that isn’t really true is that Blaine isn’t technically a member anymore, so it would only be a little white lie.”

Pastor James agreed, “That might work. I’m not really down with lying in any amount, but Blaine is pretty special.”

“He sure is,” said Kurt with a loving smile.

“And so are you, Kurt. There aren’t many young men out there who would go to such lengths. Well, there might be some who would just up and buy one for their loved one, but we’re talking entering the lion’s den with this one.”

“And I can’t even begin to thank you for even considering this, Pastor James. Really. Blaine has everything he physically needs, but his heart and his spirit need his guitar back.”

“If for some reason they have it and offer up anything else to go with it, is there anything else you’d like me to grab?”

Kurt pondered that for a moment. “Well, I’m not entirely sure what all he had, but if there’s some sort of small keyboard or electric piano, that would be great, too. But the guitar is the important part. The other guys I know that play consider their guitars their friends and almost as a part of themselves. I will buy him a new one if it all comes down to it, but the best possible scenario is to get his own guitar back.”

“I hope I can get the guitar back, Kurt. I will do my best and give you a call when I find out.”

“Can you text me? You know, in case Blaine’s with me when you have news? Or does your cell phone treat you like your computer treats you?” he said cheekily.

“You brat,” Pastor James laughed. “I think I can wrestle my phone into allowing me a simple text message.”

“Thank you so much,” Kurt said seriously. “Even if it doesn’t work out, I sincerely appreciate your efforts.”

“Anything for you two. I’ll talk to you soon.”

**xXxXxXx**

**_Kurt – I have news. Call me. PJames_ **

Kurt was home alone doing his homework when the text came through. Luckily, this was one of the days this week where he and Blaine agreed they needed some time to concentrate on their school work rather than each other, so Kurt was able to call Pastor James back immediately.

“Pastor James, hi. You happened to catch me on a non-Blaine day. So what’s up?”

“Hey Kurt. Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you. I’ll start with the bad news first. Blaine’s parents sold all his musical instruments.”

Kurt inhaled sharply. “BUT!” Pastor James went on. “Don’t panic just yet. Mrs. Anderson said they only sold them last week, and she told me where they went. Apparently there is a used musical instrument shop about 10 miles outside of Westerville that bought them. I called there this afternoon and while I have no idea what kind of guitar it was, the man who answered the phone said it has been a slow week, so there’s a good chance it’s still there.”

“Oh my gosh, I love you, Pastor James! Can you tell me about this shop? Address, hours, anything?” Kurt gushed.

“Aw thanks kid, I love you too. Anyway, this place is place is at 245 Westdale Drive. I think if you call it Westerville in your GPS you should still be able to find it okay. They’re open 'til 8pm tonight – if you hurry, you still have time to get there before closing.”

“Okay great, thank you thank you thank you! Gotta run! I’ll call you and let you know if I found it! THANK YOU!” Kurt rambled excitedly.

Pastor James chuckled, “Good luck Kurt, talk to you later.”

Kurt was already grabbing his wallet and keys and running out the door. He barely managed to skid to a stop in the foyer for shoes and a coat. He ran out to his car and plugged the address into his GPS.

About an hour and a half later, he was pulling into a tiny parking lot in front of a ramshackle building. It was just 10 minutes until closing time – he had made it just in time.

“Excuse me,” he asked the man behind the counter who, according to his nametag, was called Joe. “I’m looking for a guitar that I’ve been told was sold to you approximately a week ago by a man or woman by the last name of Anderson?”

“Um, I bought a few guitars in the last week; I wouldn’t know which is which. It’s been a slow sales week, so it’s probably still here. Why don’t you take a look around?”

Kurt looked at all the guitars for sale, but they all looked exactly the same to him. “Do you keep the same cases they came in? I’d probably recognize the case better than I would the guitar.”

Kurt prayed that he would find some sort of identifying mark on Blaine’s guitar case. Truthfully he had never seen the actual case as Blaine had kept the guitar on the stand in the corner of his room and the case in the closet.

“Sure. Let me just lock up real quick since it’s about closing time and I’ll show you around the back where I keep the cases.”

Kurt waited the few moments it took for Joe to close the shop and then followed him into the storage area.

 _Crap,_ he thought _. Everything still looks similar._ Thankfully, having an eye for detail, he began to notice small things about each case. That one was really old. The next was practically in shreds – Kurt knew Blaine would take better care of his things than that. The next one had pink sparkly puff paint trim. Blaine had his feminine side, but that pink sparkly paint was a little gay, even for Kurt, let alone Blaine. He was nearly about to give up when he spotted it. On an otherwise non-descript case, he spotted a tiny decal with the Warblers logo on it.

“Jackpot,” he whispered. Kurt pulled the case off the shelf and asked Joe to show him where the guitar that belonged to the case was located. His system was to tag the guitar and the case with the same number so that when the guitar was chosen on the showroom floor, he would be able to quickly match it with the appropriate case.

When he was shown the guitar, Kurt said, “It LOOKS right, but I know nothing about guitars. Most of them look pretty similar to me. Are there any identifying marks on this one?”

They both looked over the body of the guitar and found nothing out of the ordinary. It was well maintained, but that meant nothing. Finally Joe said,” Sometimes I’ve seen people make some sort of mark on the inside of the guitar – maybe there’s something inside.” He grabbed a small penlight and flashed it inside the instrument.

Kurt’s face broke out into a huge grin. On the inside of the guitar were the initials B. A. “This one HAS to be it. Those are his initials, and this is a decal from his singing group at school. I found it!”

“Hey man, glad to be of assistance. I’m asking $400 for it.”

Kurt whistled. Joe looked worried that he was going to lose the sale. “Hey, it’s a really great instrument. Good brand, well cared for, and totally worth the price.”

“No, no, it’s not that. I’ll pay it. I just didn’t really realize how much musical instruments cost. I’m a singer, but I only play the piano, so I’m kind of out of the loop.”

Kurt handed over his emergency credit card, mentally calculating how many hours he’d have to work for his dad to pay this one off, and Joe began to process the sale. While he busied himself with the paperwork, he commented, “This guitar seems to have some history behind it. Would it be out of line for me to ask what the story is?”

Kurt thought for a moment. He decided he didn’t see any harm in telling Joe the gist of the situation. “The short explanation is, my boyfriend came out to his parents and got kicked out with pretty much only the clothes on his back. He tried to tell me he didn’t care about any of his stuff as long as he still had me, but I know this guitar meant a lot to him.”

Joe stopped in the middle of writing up the sale and bowed his head.

Kurt broke the uncomfortable silence. “Um, is everything okay?”

Joe turned around slowly to face Kurt. Kurt noticed that his eyes were glassy. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, my parents did the same thing to my brother over three years ago and we haven’t heard from him since. I don’t even know if he’s okay. So your story hits a little close to home.” He paused a moment, and then continued on. “Look, kid, I’d love to give you this guitar for free, but I can’t do it – I’ve got a business to run. Would this guitar have come in with a violin, an electric piano, and a set of drums as well?”

“I assume so – I know he plays all those things.” Kurt shrugged.

“Well, I know I actually paid $150 for the guitar in that set. I will sell it to you for what I paid for it. I don’t want to make any money off an instrument that was sold right out from under a guy with shitty parents.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll gladly pay what you want for it.”

“No, really. I know what it’s like, and I just can’t charge full price to a guy who’s just trying to help right a small part of a huge wrong.”

“I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I didn’t know where Blaine was for almost 7 weeks and the police wouldn’t help me because his parents either paid them off or blackmailed them. So I can understand where you’re coming from. I hope your brother eventually comes back to you.”

“Thanks…” Joe hedged.

“Kurt.”

They shook hands and Joe finished processing the sale. Kurt thanked him for his help and generosity and gave him a big hug. He also took a few Missing posters and promised to put them around the areas he frequented in Lima. It had been three years, but you never know where people might turn up.

Before he began the trip back home to Lima, Kurt tapped out a quick text.

**_PJames – mission accomplished. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. – Kurt_ **

He closed his phone and started to plug it in to charge during the drive home, but he opened it again and typed up a second text.

**_B – My heart expands, every single day, to make room for more love for you. Love you, Kurt._ **

He then put the Navigator in drive and settled in for the trip home, smiling the whole way.


	28. Chapter 28

“Yo Hummel! Anderson! Get on the bus! You can eat each other’s faces off later!” yelled Puck.

Kurt and Blaine stepped onto the bus. “Forgive me for sharing a private moment with my boyfriend, Puckerman,” said Kurt sarcastically. “We haven’t seen each other outside of school for a week.” He turned to speak to Blaine. “And by the way, you’re still in trouble for missing dinner last night.”

“I SAID I was sorry, I fell asleep!” Blaine said exasperatedly. He was sick of being chastised for being tired. He stomped down the aisle of the bus and flopped into a seat in the back.

Kurt cringed, a big “oops” look on his face. “Guess I pushed him too far,” he mumbled to no one in particular. He went to the seat where Blaine was pouting and sat down to apologize.

“Who knew that they’d be bigger drama queens than Rachel Berry?” said Lauren.

“I HEARD THAT!” Blaine, Kurt, and Rachel said in unison.

“They’ll be fine. You all know that they never fight for more than a few minutes.” Mercedes assured the group. Turning to look at Blaine and Kurt, she saw that they were already kissing and making up. “See?” She gestured at them. “No worries.”

“ATTENTION EVERYONE!” called Mr. Schuester. “We have some free time on the bus trip ahead of us, so I’d like to do a run-through of our set list, or at least the two big numbers. Unless you’d like the chance to rehearse too, Blaine?”

Blaine shook his head. “Unless you think I need the practice, Mr. Schue, I think I’d be best off saving my voice. The song’s short but intense.”

“Nope, you’re fine. You’ve been singing it flawlessly every time we’ve gone over it, so I will trust that you will do amazingly again. Okay, everyone. Finn, Puck, from the top!”

Sectionals was being held at Carmel High’s auditorium. Vocal Adrenaline wasn’t performing that day, but their auditorium was the biggest and the best in the area and was usually used for most major exhibitions and competitions by lots of different musical groups. The McKinley High kids arrived at Carmel High just as the Warblers’ caravan pulled up. Both groups greeted each other as friends but shook hands as competition. While they were here, it was strictly business.

After stopping momentarily at the check in desk to sign in and learn the performance order, the groups parted ways to warm up more and change into their costumes. The boys wore deep purple shirts with silver ties, and the girls wore silver dresses with purple trim and sashes. In the past, all the dresses had been the same style, but to mix things up, all the girls chose their own style of dress to fit their body types best. Kurt had insisted that as long as everyone had the same colors in the same spots, the length and sleeve style wouldn’t matter much, and he was right. The girls actually looked better wearing different styles than they would have had they all been the same because their comfort and confidence levels were much higher in clothing that flattered them.

The New Directions would follow the West High School Ensemble from Columbus in performance slot number two, and The Warblers would sing last. Rachel stressed over the fact that they were right in the middle; she thought that they would be forgotten quickly. Mr. Schuester attempted to remind her that their talent would make them memorable no matter when they performed, but once Rachel got into one of her snits, her mind could not be changed. It was best to just let her be.

The West High School Ensemble performed three numbers that were more church choir than show choir and did absolutely nothing to wow the audience or the judges. Their songs were nearly flawless, but they came out wearing choir robes and had no choreography whatsoever. Kurt turned to Blaine and said, “I think they accidentally showed up for the wrong competition.” Blaine nodded absently. He was already thinking of his solo in his head, praying he wouldn’t mess up the lyrics. He had been singing them correctly in rehearsal, but who knows what nerves would do to him.

Kurt gently cupped Blaine’s cheek. “I know what you’re doing. Stop it. You’re amazing. They’re going to love you.”

**_“And now from McKinley High School in Lima Ohio, the New Directions!”_ **

“ _Fuck,_ ” Blaine whispered.

“Go get ‘em, baby,” Kurt encouraged.

The opening bars began to play, and Blaine made his way to the mic at center stage. All too quickly, his entrance was right there in front of him, and he dove right in. He had never been this nervous before.

Mercedes stepped up next to Kurt in the wings. “Aww, he’s so nervous, but he’s doing wonderfully.”

Kurt looked up at her with pride and tears in his eyes. “He really is, isn’t he?”

A couple of measures before the choral part began, the group carefully stepped out onto the risers behind Blaine.

Finally, he took a deep breath and sang the last line.

_My land's only borders lie around my heart_

The word heart was a long note, and the longer he held it, the more people in the audience began to stand and applaud him. Blaine was actually singing the last line with his eyes closed, so he had no idea that the whole auditorium was on its feet. He cut off the note and slowly opened his eyes, startled at the sight. Kurt came down from the risers and held his arm out, encouraging the audience to continue applauding Blaine until Puck and Finn came down to begin the next number. Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and pulled them back to the risers. He gave Blaine’s hand an encouraging squeeze and mouthed, “See? AMAZING!” to him before they took their respective places for the next number.

Puck, Finn, Santana, Mercedes, and Artie rocked their way through the middle number, and while the girls and Sam were excellent, Kurt’s Valjean was the star of the finale. He was able to use a different part of his vocal register that people rarely heard due to his tendency to sing songs mostly done by women, and even the New Directions kids were impressed. They had heard it in rehearsal, of course, but Kurt seemed to shine in competition now that he had one previous solo under his belt.

The New Directions took their final bows and danced off stage.

“That was AWESOME!” Finn shouted.

“We’ve got this in the bag!” exclaimed Artie.

Puck added, “The Garglers better be prepared to go home with no better than second place.”

“WARBLERS!” everyone corrected him.

“You rang?” said Wes from behind Blaine. “You guys were excellent. We have our work cut out for us, but I think if anyone can beat you guys, it’ll be us.”

“Good luck, guys,” Blaine offered.

**_“For our last performance of the day, from Westerville Ohio, The Dalton Academy Warblers!”_ **

The Warblers trotted enthusiastically on stage and began a set list that included Accidentally in Love with Nick singing the lead, I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing with Trent on the solo, and River of Dreams with Jeff finally breaking his seven audition losing streak and singing the solo on that one. The McKinley kids, knowing the whole story about all of Jeff’s auditions, broke out into applause when they saw him take the mic. He gave them a thumbs up and launched into the song. Listening to him sing, they all realized that the only reason he never got a solo was because Blaine was around. He was REALLY good.

After another standing ovation led by the New Directions, the Warblers left the stage, and now that the competition was done, both groups gathered together as friends again in the green room to await the judges’ decision.

After chatting amongst themselves for about thirty minutes, the lights flashed and they were called to the stage. The emcee made a little speech thanking everyone for coming to the competition and began announcing the rankings.

“In third place, the West High School Ensemble from Columbus Ohio!” The audience clapped politely as they accepted their trophy and left the stage.

“In second place, and believe me, there was a very tiny margin in between first and second place, the Dalton Academy Warblers, which means that in first place and advancing to the Regionals competition is the McKinley High New Directions! Congratulations everyone, you all did a wonderful job.”

Both teams accepted their trophies. Wes stood in front of Blaine with his hand out. “Congratulations to all of you. If anyone had to beat the Warblers, I’m glad it was the team that got you.”

Blaine grabbed Wes’ hand and instead of shaking it, he pulled him into a man hug. “You guys really stepped up your game. And it was nice to hear the other guys. I’m not sure I’ve ever even heard Trent sing by himself. They were all very, very, good.”

Kurt bounced over to Blaine and Wes. “Hi Blaine! Hi Wes! Good show, Wes. You guys were incredible. Blaine, honey, the rest of the team is requesting your presence – Puck was muttering something about hoisting the hobbit on his shoulders. I’m not sure if that means you should join us or if you should run and call a cab home, but either way, you should figure it out and we should get moving. Wes, call us – we need another New Directions and Warblers gathering soon!”

“Bye Wes,” Blaine called as Kurt dragged him away.

Kurt pulled Blaine off into a deep dark corner backstage.

“You were amazing,” kiss “extraordinary,” kiss “incredible,” kiss “exquisite,” kiss “unbelievable –“

“Kurt, baby, enough. I love getting kissed by you, but you said the group was looking for me? Won’t they find us soon?”

“No, I made all that up. I needed you alone for a moment. But seriously, it was wonderful, sweetie. I am SO proud of you. All of us, really, but especially you.”

“And all that stuff you said about me goes double for you, Kurt.”

Kurt and Blaine leaned into a kiss and were really getting into it when…

“I KNEW IT! Guys, can you not keep your hands off each other for one minute anymore?”

Kurt sighed. “Mercedes, come on. We’ve been over this. You’ve seen him. You’ve heard him. You know why I can’t keep my hands off him.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But come on. Mr. Schue’s going to have a coronary if you guys don’t get your cute little butts on that bus right now. He wants to get moving.”

Blaine put his arm around Kurt’s waist, and Kurt put his around Mercedes, and the three of them walked arm in arm in arm to the bus together, ready for the ride home.

**xXxXxXx**

“Ugh, FINALLY. I don’t know why teachers insist on actually trying to teach on the last day of school before winter break. Nothing ever gets done,” Blaine complained.

“I know. And Mr. Jones was so engrossed in his lesson on World War II that he didn’t even notice half the boys were re-enacting one of the battles right behind his back. How he continued to talk right through all those faux grenade explosions, I’ll never know,” added Kurt.

“Well, we’re out now. What do you want to do first?”

“Did you get your Christmas shopping done yet, Blaine? We could go to the mall if you haven’t.” Kurt hinted.

“Oh, you just want an excuse to try to figure out what I’ve gotten you, don’t you? Well, it won’t do you any good. I’ve had yours taken care of for weeks now.”

“I’m impressed! I thought you’d be a last minute shopper. I know Finn is. He’s been bugging me daily about what to get for Rachel. He refuses to believe that she probably won’t be completely happy with anything he gets her just because she’s Rachel and nothing’s ever good enough for her.”

“How do you know I’m not a last minute shopper? I just said that I had YOU covered. I do need your help with gifts for everyone else, though,” Blaine admitted.

“Okay, let’s go!” Kurt said happily. He was always glad for an excuse to go shopping.

With Kurt’s help, Blaine got Burt an Ohio State Buckeyes baseball cap, a fancy set of drumsticks for Finn, and a mother’s charm necklace for Carole with Finn, Kurt, and Blaine’s birthstones all represented.

“I don’t know, Kurt, are you sure she’s going to like it?”

“For the millionth time, she is going to love it. And she’s going to be especially touched that it came from you rather than from Finn or me.”

Kurt had already taken care of his Christmas shopping weeks ago, but he never missed an opportunity to walk through Macy’s to see if there was anything he had to add to his wardrobe. Each boy found a brand new scarf for their extensive collections, and after a quick snack in the food court, they were ready to go home.

“I know you have to work at the garage all day tomorrow, but will you come over right away in the morning on the 24th so we can spend the whole day together?” Kurt asked.

“Of course. I was planning on showing up early anyway. I’m going to need your help getting these gifts wrapped.” He grinned at Kurt.

“You’re lucky you’re cute, Mister. I can’t always be doing all the work for you.”

“Face it, Kurt. If I did the wrapping by myself, you’d be wanting to rip it all off and do it again your way, so we’re saving time and paper by just you doing it yourself the first time.”

“This is true.”

Kurt dropped Blaine off at his door. “So, I’ll see you day after tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

They embraced and shared a long, sweet kiss. Neither was in a hurry to leave the other, but eventually they broke it off and Kurt headed home. He was getting so excited for Christmas. He knew it was going to be one he would never forget.


	29. Chapter 29

“Kurt, Kurt, KURT! Wake up baby! It’s Christmas! It’s the hap-happiest daaaaaaaay of the yeeeeearrrrrrr!” Blaine sang.  “Get up, get up, get UP!!” Blaine bounced around Kurt’s bedroom, flinging open the curtains. Blaine had stayed overnight with the Hudmels so that he could be there to share Christmas morning with the family, and Kurt was beginning to regret the decision.

“If Santa gave you Pixie Stix in your stocking, I’m kicking his ass. I could do it, too,” Kurt mumbled, face buried deep in his pillow.

“Believe it or not, I haven’t had any caffeine or sugar, I’m just high on the BEST HOLIDAY EVERRRRR! WOOOOOO!!” he cheered, going so far as to pump his fist in the air.

“Holy mother of God, it is 5:15am, Blaine. Go back to sleep. Even MY internal clock doesn’t register hours earlier than 6am.”

“But I heard someone downstairs already! That must mean it’s time to start the day. PLEEEEEAAASE Kurt?”

Kurt pulled his face out of his pillow and looked at his hyper boyfriend. The puppy dog face was in rare form. He couldn’t remember it ever look quite that pleading before. He relented. “Okay, Blaine, I’ll get up. But you owe me at least 45 minutes extra uninterrupted sleep tomorrow.”

“DEAL!” Blaine agreed, bouncing on the bed.

“Give me a second to pull myself together and then we’ll go downstairs. Okay?” While Blaine’s attention was focused elsewhere, Kurt quickly grabbed his phone off his nightstand and went into the bathroom. He texted Carole: **_We’re on our way down. If you want to see this, be ready._** He brushed his teeth, used the toilet, washed up, and brushed his hair, and then he felt ready enough to greet his family.

“Okay, honey, let’s go downstairs,” he said, offering Blaine his hand to hold.

Entering the living room, Blaine smiled at the tree. Ever since they had put it up, he had enjoyed looking at it because, “it has personality,” he said. His parents’ trees had always been just like them: perfectly coordinated, nothing out of place, and very stuffy. The Hudmels’ tree was lopsided, full of homemade ornaments, nothing matched, and it was PERFECT in Blaine’s eyes. Just the way he thought a Christmas tree should be.

As he stepped farther into the room and closer to the tree, he noticed a familiar black shape off to the side of the tree, partially hidden by a small pile of gifts.

“Kurt…? Is that?”

“Go ahead, honey, go see what Santa left you,” Kurt said softly. He looked over his shoulder to see Carole and Burt behind him peering out from the kitchen and Finn looking down from the top of the stairs.

Blaine slowly moved to the tree, almost sneakingly as if the item he had his eye on would catch sight of him and run away before he could get there. He reached out and ran his hand along the edge of the case in wonder. It felt the same. He grasped the handle and pulled it out from behind the gifts. He looked up at Kurt.

“Go on!” Kurt urged.

Blaine undid the latches and opened the case. His breath left him in a whoosh. To confirm what he already knew, he picked up the guitar and angled it so the light went inside, and he spotted his initials.

He went over to where Kurt was standing and threw his arms around him, tears running down his cheeks.

“I can’t… I just can’t believe it. It’s MINE. But how?”

“Why are you asking me? This is all Santa’s doing,” Kurt denied, grinning.

“I know who my own personal Santa is, and he doesn’t wear red velvet and white fur, he wears Marc Jacobs. ‘Fess up, love. How’d you do it?”

“I’ve seen how you look at Puck and Sam’s guitars. I KNOW you missed having yours. It’s always been like another appendage for you. So I enlisted Pastor James’ help. He went to ask your parents for it for a ‘deserving member of his congregation,’ but he learned that your parents had already sold off your musical instruments.” Blaine’s smile faded just a bit at that news. “I’m sorry about that, honey. But anyway, they had sold them only about a week before he asked about them. So I went to the shop and found it. You know, the only reason I was able to come up with your guitar was because of the Warblers?”

“What do the Warblers have anything to do with my guitar?”

“The only way I was able to identify YOUR guitar was by the little Warblers sticker on the case. Otherwise, all the guitars and all the cases looked alike to me.”

“I don’t even remember putting that on there,” he said thoughtfully. Then he grinned. “Pavarotti strikes again."

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“Thank you baby, really. This is the best present I’ve ever received. It means everything to me to have it back. Especially since it actually goes with your present.”

“Really?” Kurt asked, surprised. “How so?”

“Well, I kinda wrote a song for you. It’s not really written for the guitar – it was written for piano – but rather than wait until I can find a piano to play it on, I can play my guitar and sing it for you now.”

“You wrote a song? For me? Blaine, I’m touched! Can I hear it now?”

“Of course.” Blaine moved to the armchair in the corner, and Kurt sat on the floor in front of him with his arms around his legs.

Blaine took a deep breath and said, “This is called Not Alone. I love you, Kurt.”

_I've been alone  
Surrounded by darkness   
I've seen how heartless   
The world can be   
  
I've seen you crying   
You felt like it's hopeless   
I'll always do my best   
To make you see   
  
Baby, you're not alone   
Cause you're here with me   
And nothing's ever gonna bring us down   
Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you   
And you know it's true   
It don't matter what'll come to be   
Our love is all we need to make it through_

Blaine continued to sing, but Kurt had stopped actually listening to the words. Instead, he just watched Blaine. He was clearly in his element while performing. Kurt knew he loved to sing, but he truly came alive while holding his guitar.

Kurt was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of Blaine’s incredible falsetto. He didn’t get to hear it much, and he was excited that it came out in a song that was meant for him.

_Cause nothing, nothing, nothing can keep me from lovin' you  
And you know it's true   
It don't matter what'll come to be   
You know our love is all we need   
Our love is all we need to make it through_

Blaine set down his guitar and opened his arms. Kurt immediately recognized the invite and settled himself into Blaine’s lap.

“Good morning, boys. Blaine, I hope you don’t mind that we listened, but all of us are in awe of how truly talented you are. Amazing isn’t a strong enough word to describe how beautiful that song and the thoughts behind it were. Now, Burt and Finn are in the kitchen scarfing down breakfast, and if you want to have a snowball’s chance of getting any of it for yourselves, you might want to head on in there to stake your claim.” Carole kissed both boys on the top of the head and went into the kitchen to see what kind of damage control she could do.

“Hungry, sweetie?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be right in. Save me something, would you please?”

“Of course,” Kurt replied, and he kissed Blaine quickly on the nose before he strode into the kitchen, announcing that there had better be something left for him, “OR ELSE.”

Blaine got out of the chair and sat on his knees on the floor.

“God,” he whispered. “I know I’m not much of a believer, but I just wanted to thank you. Because it’s obvious, if you really do exist, that you really do love me and are looking out for me. You’ve brought me by far the most wonderful person I’ve ever met that I don’t even deserve, and he comes with an incredible family and awesome friends, and I… I just don’t know what to say other than thank you. I’ll try to be deserving of this precious gift. Amen.”

Blaine took a moment more to reflect and then jumped to his feet. He strode to the kitchen and yelled, “You can start the party now, Blaine Anderson has officially entered the room.”

**xXxXxXx**

“But Blaine, honey, you didn’t have to get me anything else. You wrote a song for me. That gift is priceless and more than I could have ever asked. It tells me that you were thinking of me, and only me, the entire time you wrote it.”

“Kurt, look at this place and how much you guys got me. It’s feeling a little lopsided in here.”

The family had just finished opening gifts, and Burt, Carole, and Finn were all off doing their own things. The entire room was filled with gifts, most of them for Blaine since even after a few months of living on his own, he still had so little to his name. The Glee club had all gotten together, Brad and Mr. Schuester included, and bought him a small electric piano to replace the one that his parents had sold. And Burt, Carole, and Finn had all gotten together, with Kurt’s help, of course, to buy him a bunch of new clothes. Kurt managed to rein himself in and pick out comfortable, and God forbid, trendy clothes for Blaine that he would be comfortable in. Kurt thought everything was pretty boring, but he had to admit, he bought a bunch of Blaine’s t-shirts a size smaller than he normally would have just so they would fit him tightly. Hey, he wasn’t going to sacrifice ANYONE’S fashion without something good in it for him in return.

“Besides,” he went on. “If I promise you that I was thinking of you, and only you, the entire time I was picking this out, will you take it? Please?” Blaine turned up the puppy dog look to epic proportions.

“Ugh, jeez, Blaine, put that look away. Fine! What is it you have for me?”

Blaine grinned and pulled a small box out from underneath a huge pile of his new clothes. He handed it to Kurt, who gasped and looked at Blaine questioningly.

“Relax, it’s not what you think it is. Well, it’s not YET what you think it is. But it could be someday. Oh, just open it, so I can explain, please?”

Kurt gently peeled back the green foil wrapping from the box and opened it. Inside he found a gold ring with two hands clasped together.

“Oh, Blaine, it’s gorgeous.”

“It’s an Irish Claddagh puzzle ring. A traditional Claddagh symbol is of two hands holding a heart with a crown on top of it. But this is a puzzle ring. If you pull the two hands apart, you will find the heart behind them. I wanted to give you the meaning behind the Claddagh, but in a unique presentation, just like you.

“Now, the Claddagh is worn partly to show relationship status. If someone has no significant other and just wants to wear the ring, they wear it on their right hand with the heart pointed away from their body. If someone has a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s on their right hand with the heart pointed toward the body. Someone who is engaged will wear it on the left hand pointing away, and someone who is married will wear it on the left hand pointing toward them. Now, I’m not proposing now, so this will go on your right hand with it pointing toward you as a promise ring of sorts, but someday I’ll be moving it to your left hand. You can count on that.”

He carefully placed the ring on Kurt’s right hand, relieved to find that it was a pretty close fit. Kurt might have to have it sized, but at least he could wear it today. Blaine was a tad bummed that he was not putting it on Kurt’s left hand, but they were still in high school. There was time.

Kurt held up his right hand and admired the ring. Blaine had done an amazing job choosing it. Just the meaning behind it would have been enough for Kurt, but to get the right size, the right color, and a non-traditional style showed Kurt that Blaine knew him well.

“Je t'aime, mon coeur, mon amour, mon tout.”

“I love you too, baby. I only caught part of that, but I know it was romantic and full of lovey dovey sappy goodness,” Blaine said, grinning wildly.

“You nut,” chided Kurt. “I said, I love you, my heart, my love, my everything.”

“Ohhhh, so you mean Ti amo, il mio cuore, amore mio, il mio tutto. Got it!”

“We are so not going to have a battle of which is better, French or Italian. I think they both sound amazing when spoken with feeling to the one you love.”

“I do too, Kurt. Thank you for accepting the ring, and thank you for my gifts. I know you had a hand in them all.”

“I did, but that wasn’t my official gift to you.”

“There’s more? Kurt, this is insane. I don’t need any more stuff. All this right here is plenty.”

Kurt placed a single finger over Blaine’s lips to shush him. “My gift looks kind of inadequate next to yours, now, but here.” He dragged out a largish box from behind the tree.

“Kurt – “ Blaine tried to protest, but Kurt interrupted him.

“Just open it, Blaine.”

Blaine eagerly tore off the wrapping and peered inside of the box. The large anticipatory grin on his face faded as he saw what was inside.

Kurt saw it and almost cried. “You hate it,” he said, trying to take the box away from Blaine.

“NO!” Blaine yelled as he clung tightly to the package. “No, Kurt, I don’t hate it. At all. I could never… Kurt, I’m just overwhelmed. This is all our pictures. Actually, these are all MY copies of our pictures.”

“Pastor James visited your parents to speak about your instruments on trash day. He noticed this box sitting next to the can and took it on his way back. It’s all your stuff, yes, but I added some pictures of my own that I thought were missing. There’s a lot of stuff here, so I bought a photo album to put the pictures you don’t have room to display, and finally, there’s a certificate for a photo session in here. We have hundreds of amazing candids, but I thought we might like some professional pics to commemorate our first Christmas together.”

“I was wrong earlier, you know.”

“About what?”

“About the guitar being the best gift ever. THIS is the best gift ever. You’re giving me us. Again. And YOU are the best gift ever.”

Blaine got up from the floor by the tree and pulled Kurt up with him. He guided them over to the armchair and sat down, situating Kurt carefully on his lap. Kurt immediately settled into extreme cuddle mode and they kissed. Just once, and very sweetly, but each one thought it was one of the best kisses they had ever shared.

Curled up in the chair, snuggled up together so closely it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began, they dozed off.

Burt and Carole came into the room just then, and Carole couldn’t help but “aww” at the sight of them. She immediately spun around and retrieved the camera from the kitchen. A reflection from the camera flash caught her eye and she went to investigate. After a quick look, she scurried back to Burt and shoved him out of the room. “Oh Burt, Blaine gave Kurt a ring!”

“He what? But they’re only in high school! And he didn’t come talk to me first!”

“Shh Burt, you’ll startle them. But don’t worry, it’s a Claddagh ring and it’s on his right hand.”

Burt argued, “And I’m supposed to relax why? What does that mean?”

“That kind of ring on a right hand means they’re boyfriends. You can panic when Blaine comes to ask you about moving it to Kurt’s left hand. On a left hand, that ring means engaged or married, depending on which direction it’s pointed.” Carole explained patiently.

“Okay, good. Blaine knows I love him as my own son, but that doesn’t mean he can go off proposing to my first born without talking to me first.”

“Let’s go wake them up, honey. I want to get this family picture taken now. Finn is starting to get antsy about going over to see Rachel today.”

**xXxXxXx**

“Blaine, honey, it’s Christmas. You’ve got to wear this green shirt, okay? Plus, with your coloring, you look amazing in bold colors.”

“Okay, okay, today I will let you dress me. Tomorrow, I am picking my own clothes. What kind of pants?”

“Those black jeans.”

Blaine hesitated, “Will those even fit me? It looks like I’ll need to pour myself into them.”

Kurt peeked out from between the racks of clothes in his closet. “That was kind of my whole motive in picking them,” he said suggestively.

“If you insist on my making me wear these TIGHT” he said the word in falsetto “jeans, then you are absolutely NOT allowed to say anything that will rile me up.”

“Hehehe you said ‘up.’” Kurt teased.

“Kurt, I mean it. I do not want to go downstairs looking like I need some time to myself.”

“Okay, okay, okay. You go ahead and change in the other room, because if you change in here, I’ll want to help, and then I’ll be of absolutely no help,” Kurt said, winking as he did.

Blaine groaned. “You are impossible, Kurt,” he said as he stomped into the other room.

“You love me anyway!” Kurt called in response.

“Yeah, I do, ya little brat,” Blaine said softly to himself.

Blaine got into the jeans and was happy to note that they weren’t as tight as he originally thought. Ogling Kurt was still going to be a no no, but breathing appeared to be an option now, whereas before he thought it wouldn’t be, so all was good. After he put on the green shirt Kurt insisted on, he took a look in the mirror. Thanks to Kurt and a good hair stylist, he found a haircut and style that would allow him to tame the curls without gallon buckets of gel and without losing them completely. Kurt told Blaine about all the greasy hair jokes Coach Sylvester told about Mr. Schue’s gelled up hair, but really, he had nothing on Blaine. Blaine was happy to ditch the excessive hair products.

Deciding he looked decent enough to spend the rest of the holiday with Kurt’s family, he went back to Kurt’s room to meet him so they could go downstairs together. Kurt looked absolutely amazing in his own green button down shirt paired with a fashionable white cardigan sweater. His eyes often changed from blue to green and back again, and sometimes they were both, but the green shirt ensured that his eyes were 100% green that day, and Blaine was lost in them.

“Kurt, you always look incredible, but you have outdone yourself this time.”

As often happened with either of them, Blaine chose that moment to break out into song.

_Oh your eyes, your eyes  
Make the stars look like they're not shining  
Your hair, your hair  
Falls perfectly without your trying  
You’re so beautiful  
And I tell you every day_

“Oh you,” chided Kurt. He gave Blaine the once over and thought for a minute. “Hmm. You look hot right now, but what I think would make you go from hot to scorching would be this.” He walked over to his tie rack and pulled out a skinny black tie. He put it around Blaine’s neck and made the knot very loose so it hung haphazardly. “There. I knew it would be amazing. I can hardly touch you, you’re so hot.”

“Thanks babe. I know I can always count on you to make me look good.”

“Come on. Let’s get downstairs before Carole sics Finn on us.” Kurt gave Blaine a quick peck on the lips and pulled him down the stairs behind him.

They went back into the living room, and Blaine noticed that all the paper and gifts had been cleaned up, sorted, and packed away.

“Okay everyone,” commanded Carole. “I want to get these family pics done now ‘cause I know you all have other plans for the afternoon.”

 _Family pics,_ Blaine thought. “Okay, I’ll just get out of your way and sit over here while you guys do that.”

“Oh no you don’t, Blaine. Get yourself over here.”

“But I’m not – “

“Blaine… what’s your middle name?”

“I don’t like telling people my middle name. I hate it.”

“Well I’m about to three-name you, so you better tell it to me or I’m gonna make one up.”

 _Whoa, scary Carole._ “It’s Everett.”

“Blaine Everett Anderson, you march you butt over here right now. Tell me, why is it that we can’t seem to pound it into your thick little skull that you are family to us and will be treated as such?” Carole seemed almost mad at this point.

“I’m sorry,” Blaine said quietly. “The rule in my extended family was always that anyone not married into the family didn’t belong in the group pictures because they might not be there next year and they didn’t want all these random people being in the pictures.”

“Do you plan on leaving?” Carole asked.

“No!”

“Do you plan on doing anything that will make Kurt leave you?” She prompted again.

“Hell no!”

“Then get in the damn picture, Blaine.”

“Yes ma’am!”

Blaine rushed over to stand beside Kurt. “You could have helped me out, you know,” he mumbled.

“And said what? No Carole, he’s not family, nobody wants him spoiling OUR family pictures, why would we ever consider him family?”

“You would never have said that.”

“EXACTLY. Good grief, I think we finally fixed the short circuit in this boy’s head that prevented his light bulb from flickering on!” Kurt announced.

To tell the truth, Blaine was almost giddy that he was included in these pictures. He wasn’t entirely certain he was welcome in his own family’s pictures half the time, and he was blood related.  _Sure as hell not welcome now,_ he thought bitterly to himself.

Carole had the camera set up on a timer, and the five of them took a series of serious photos in different boring arrangements. Then Carole instructed them to ham it up. Blaine was skilled at all sorts of silly looks, Kurt was a master of surprised expressions, Finn used his hands to twist his mouth and nose into strange positions, and Carole and Burt just sat and laughed at the boys. A few photos later, Carole and Burt lovingly posed for a few portraits of just themselves. Blaine, Kurt and Finn had a few together. Then Kurt jumped up on Finn’s back for one as brothers. Finally, Blaine and Kurt were left. Kurt picked up Blaine bridal-style for one, and Blaine dipped Kurt down like they were ballroom dancing for another. Finally, in their last pose, they went all out silly. Kurt pretended to Vogue, while Blaine looked like he was Walking like an Egyptian.

Laughing, Kurt and Blaine went back and sat in the armchair again. They grabbed the remote and began to argue over what show to watch. Kurt wanted to watch the House marathon that was on one of the cable channels while Blaine thought they should watch A Christmas Carol regardless of the fact that this would be the eighth time he had watched it this week. Neither of them had noticed that Carole was still in the room taking pictures. She had caught a whole bunch of their silly little bickering – Kurt would pick at Blaine’s hair, Blaine would muss Kurt’s clothes, each just BEGGING to get on the other’s nerves - but when they stopped and began to kiss and make up, she snapped just one. As luck would have it, just that one single photo was probably the most beautiful photo she would ever take. _I’m saving this one for their wedding,_ she decided.

**xXxXxXx**

In the Hummel-Hudson house on Christmas night, not a creature was stirring. Except for Kurt. He had been trying to fall asleep, but the Sandman refused to pay him a visit. His brain was far too active for sleep.

“Blaine?” Kurt whispered in the dark.

Blaine groaned and shifted. “Mmmmm what, baby?” he asked, snuggling in closer behind Kurt. Blaine was the big spoon that night.

“Have you ever thought about it?”

“Thought about what?”

“Our first time.”

“Our first time doing wha – ohhhh… Hell, I’m thinking about it now!” he said as he ground his slowly hardening cock into Kurt’s ass.

“BLAINE, be serious. Please?”

Blaine nuzzled Kurt’s shoulder. “Sorry sweetie. That question just kind of came out of nowhere. Of course I have thought about it, Kurt. I will always love you, the WHOLE you, first and foremost, but I can’t lie, I am madly in lust with your body and I think about being with you all the time.”

“Do – do you think we’re ready?”

“To be honest, no, I don’t think we are. Physically we’re definitely not ready since there are some things we should probably do before having actual sex, but I don’t think we’re ready emotionally, either. This is going to be a very, very big deal for us and we’ll need to treat it as such.”

“What haven’t we physically done yet?”

“Well,” Blaine started, thankful the lights were out and Kurt couldn’t see his face. “It’s going to be really uncomfortable for the one who….well, I won’t say bottoms because I don’t like assigning roles like that, especially if we both decide to do both,  but we’ll say receives… if there isn’t some playing and, uh, stretching involved.”

“Stretching?” Kurt asked curiously. “You mean…?”

“Yeah. Our first time probably isn’t going to be pleasant for the one who receives anyway, but it will be truly painful without preparation.”

Kurt was quiet for a solid five minutes before he spoke again. Blaine was a little startled to hear his voice as he had thought Kurt had fallen asleep by that time.

“Blaine?”

“Yes Kurt?”

“Can we, um, try that stretching thing now?

Blaine hesitated for a moment while he tried to figure out if Kurt just asked what he thought he did. “Really, baby? Are you sure?”

“Why, don’t you want to?”

“FUCK YEAH I want to, I just want to make sure you’re sure.”

“Blaine, I’m 100% sober. I know what I’m asking for.”

“Oh thank God, I was praying you wouldn’t change your mind. Did you want me to take care of you, or did you want to do me?”

“Eventually we’re going to do it all, Blaine, but I’m in need of your hands anywhere you can put them right now. I don’t know if you noticed, but I kind of like this idea.”

Blaine immediately reached around to the front of Kurt’s body and found his cock hard and pulsing in reaction to his touch. “ _Kind of_ isn’t what I’d call it, babe.”

“Paws off Anderson, or I can’t be responsible for ending this show before it begins.”

“Okay, okay, do you have any lube or anything?”

“Yeah, hinged box on my nightstand.”

Blaine grabbed the little bottle and set it within easy reach. “I’m gonna start out slow, babe.”

Kurt nodded. He was already beginning to breathe in short little pants just anticipating what was to come.

They had gone to bed nude that night, so there were no pesky clothes to get out of the way. Blaine lay on his back and pulled Kurt on top of him. The boys kissed while Blaine snaked his hands purposefully down Kurt’s back to his ass.  He grabbed a firm cheek in each hand and began to knead the flesh with his fingers. _God, even his ass cheeks are perfect. What ISN’T perfect about him?_

Kurt moaned softly into Blaine’s mouth, and their hips began to gently thrust against each other. No, this wouldn’t do. No one was allowed to orgasm yet.

Blaine rolled Kurt off him onto the bed next to him. He picked up the bottle of lube and poured some out onto his fingers.

“This will be easier if you try to relax as much as possible, Kurt, okay?” Kurt bit his lip and nodded, beginning to look very nervous. “Hey, it’s okay, Kurt. I’m not going to hurt you. It’s just me.”

Kurt smiled. “I know,” he said simply.

On the bed, Kurt was laying flat on his back, his knees up and his legs spread, while Blaine was on his side placing feather light kisses all along Kurt’s cheek. Blaine moved the fingers of his slicked up hand to Kurt’s entrance, tracing gently around his hole but never dipping inside.

Kurt let out a whoosh of air. “Talk to me, Kurt,” demanded Blaine.

“More, Blaine,” he whispered emphatically.

Distracting Kurt with kisses, he began to gently press his finger into Kurt. As soon as Blaine’s finger breached the tight ring of muscle, Kurt’s entire body jumped.

“Ungh,” Kurt groaned.

“Feel good, baby?” Kurt nodded slightly.

“Shall I move my hand?” He nodded much more strongly.

Slowly Blaine began to work his finger in and out of Kurt, and gradually Kurt began to relax. “Kurt, I’m going to add another finger now, okay?” he asked.

“Mmm yes, please,” he said breathily.

Blaine added another finger and Kurt jumped again, though it wasn’t as violent a reaction as the first time. After thrusting his fingers in and out, he began to twist his hand and scissor his fingers, which caused Kurt to writhe around the bed

“Make me come Blaine, please,” Kurt whimpered.

“What’s that, Kurt? I didn’t hear you.”

“PLEASE Blaine, I… I need more.”

Blaine grinned. _It’s time to bump it up a notch._ He added a third finger, which made Kurt practically growl, and then when Kurt had his eyes closed, he took Kurt’s entire length into his mouth in one shot.

“OH MY GOD BLAINE! How did you learn to do that!”

Blaine just hummed and swallowed around Kurt’s cock while continuing to thrust his fingers in and out. With virtually no warning to either one of them, Kurt came down Blaine’s throat. Blaine’s eyes shot open in surprise, but he managed to swallow and smile at Kurt. After a few gentle licks to clean him up, he said just one word. “Toys.”

“Huh?” Kurt said, ever eloquent in his post-orgasmic haze.

“You asked how I learned how to do that. Toys.”

“Oh holy hell,” Kurt breathed in shock.

“You were practicing with the Cheerios a lot back then. I needed something to do.”

Kurt shook his head. “Most people learn a language or get a job when they’re bored. My boyfriend learns how to deep throat.”

“If you’d like to complain, I can arrange to never do that again.”

“NO!!!!” Kurt roared. Blaine took one look at the look of complete horror on Kurt’s face and burst out laughing. Almost literally rolling on the floor laughing.

“Oh….my… GOD, Kurt!” he said, choking out his words through his gasps for air. “The LOOK on your face! You look like I just told you that Lady Gaga died and that Alexander McQueen was a bumbling idiot and that I just vomited all over your designer shoe collection all at the SAME TIME!”

Kurt gave Blaine the bitchiest bitch face he had ever given in his life and shoved him off the bed onto the floor. “Ow!” yelled Blaine. There was silence for a few beats, and then Kurt heard, “Totally worth it,” mumbled from Blaine’s place on the floor.

Kurt felt bad. He did just get the most intense orgasm of his life, after all, even if Blaine was being a jerk. He let out a big exaggerated sigh and reached his hand over the side of the bed, offering it to Blaine.

Blaine grasped it and used it as leverage to hoist himself back on the bed. He placed a gentle kiss on Kurt’s forehead. “I love you, Kurt.”

Kurt sighed. Blaine was just too cute to stay mad at. “I love you too, Blaine.”


	30. Chapter 30

“Rachel, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Why am I not surprised. Okay. Have you ever thought about any of the girls in this room in a sexual way?” asked Santana.

Rachel blushed profusely while practically screaming out, “NO! Rachel Berry is into men, thank you very much.”

Santana nodded knowingly. “Methinks the lady doth protesteth too much. Who is it, Berry?”

“I told you, there’s no one,” she said softly, not sounding very confident.

“That’s enough, Santana,” said Finn. “She said she likes guys, and I’m proof of that. If she was into girls, she’d be with a girl and not me.”

“NEXT QUESTION,” Kurt commanded.

Rachel spoke up. “Mercedes, truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to kiss Kurt for thirty seconds.”

“Rachel!” Mercedes screeched.

“What, am I not good enough for you, Mercedes?” Kurt said teasingly.

“No, it’s just that… that… he’s with Blaine! And I don’t want Blaine to be mad at me!” she spluttered.

“Oh honey, I know you’re not going to steal my man. Let’s face it, he may have been ON your bed, but my bed is the only one he’s been IN. Have at him. See what I get to enjoy every day,” sassed Blaine.

Mercedes shot a look in Sam’s direction, pleading him to help her out. He gave her a thumbs up and she gave him a middle finger up in return. “Okay, fine…” she relented. “But this is going to be weird as hell.”

Kurt beckoned her over to sit next to him and leaned over to kiss her. Mercedes was very stiff and awkward. “Wait a minute, time out!” he called.

“Are you really that uncomfortable with this, hon? You’re practically frozen. If you don’t want to do this, that’s fine. There’s no way in hell I’d make you kiss me if you didn’t want to.” Kurt reassured.

“It’s, well… it’s because it’s you. You’re my best friend in the world and it feels weird and I don’t want to make things awkward for us.”

Kurt nodded. “That’s fine. But I bet you’re fabulous and Sam is very lucky.”

“Thanks Kurt.”

“Hey! She bailed on her dare. She should have to do another one.”

“No Rachel. She was uncomfortable, she gets a pass.”

“Fine. How about you take her dare for her? I dare you to kiss any boy in this room OTHER than Blaine.”

Kurt grimaced. “Rach, you’re just full of bad ideas today.”

“I’ll do it.” The entire room stared at Puck. “Really, Puckerman?”

“Sure. I’m secure enough in my badass-culinity to kiss another dude.”

“All right…” Kurt said incredulously. Kurt went to Puck’s side and pressed a closed mouth kiss on his lips. Puck grabbed Kurt around the shoulders and planted a kiss on him that wasn’t nearly as bad as Kurt thought it would be.

“Damn Kurt, your lips are soft! What’s your secret?”

The whole group laughed. “Out of all the comments you could come up with from that kiss, THAT is the one you went with?” Kurt asked.

Puck shrugged, “Yeah, why not? I kiss a lot of chicks, I get chapped.”

Kurt shook his head unbelievably. He never thought he’d be discussing beauty tips with Noah Puckerman, of all people. “The best way to keep your lips soft is to stay fully hydrated. And I use the Warm Vanilla Sugar lip balm from Bath and Body Works.”

“I thought you tasted a little like Christmas cookies.”

“Okay, enough of that. Kurt, since the dare defaulted to you, you’re up next,” said Finn.

“Okay, Blaine, truth or dare.”

Blaine looked worried. “Oh jeez, a truth or dare question from Kurt. Man, I don’t know what to pick. I think the dare is probably safer than the truth question is, knowing you, so I’ll go with dare.”

“I dare you to take your pants off and model your new undies for the room.”

Blaine’s jaw dropped. “KURT! What the hell?”

“You heard me, drop trou.”

“Did I do something to offend you? Are you paying me back for something?” Blaine pleaded.

“Nope. I just want people to see your underwear.”

Blaine sighed heavily. “FINE. But know that I’m doing this under duress.”

“Noted.”

Blaine pulled down his pants to reveal a pair of Chewbacca print boxer briefs.

“Oh man, there are so many directions I could go with this,” said Lauren, “but instead I’ll just ask you to explain to us why Chewbacca.”

“Just a minute, I’ll be right back. I have a visual,” chirped Kurt as he ran upstairs.

Mercedes grinned. She had been Kurt’s friend the longest so she knew exactly what Kurt was retrieving from his bedroom.

Blaine took the opportunity to yank his pants back up. No WAY was he sitting around with his pants around his ankles any longer than necessary.

“Most of you have not met Chewy.” Kurt held out a stuffed Chewbacca toy as he re-entered the room. “He travels often with me. He is more than just a friend, though, he is also a backpack.” Kurt put his arms through the straps and tossed Chewbacca onto his back.

“Blaine wanted a Chewbacca just like mine, but since my backpack was a one-of-a-kind item, he couldn’t have one. Not that I’d let him. Chewy was my friend first, and I don’t want anyone mistaking me for the copycat. He still wanted something with Chewbacca on it, though. We were shopping at H&M the other day and they have a lot of licensed merchandise and he found the boxer briefs and just HAD to have them. It was adorable, really. He was bouncing around like Tigger, you all know how he does, and was like Kurt, Kurt, it’s Chewy! I need these!”

“I knew I should have gone with the fucking t-shirt,” Blaine mumbled into the hands covering his face.

Everyone in the room laughed heartily except for Blaine. He was still trying to slink back into the woodwork.

“Awww babe, it was cute!” Kurt kissed Blaine on an exposed part of his cheek. “Whew, are your cheeks burning!”

“Gee, wonder why, Kurt.”

“’Kay Blaine, you’re up.”

“Oh, this is going to be good. Kurt, I’m picking you.”

“But you can’t do that.”

“Oh, I do believe today I can. And today, I’m choosing dare for you. If I’m going to break the rules, I might as well do it thoroughly. Any objections?” he asked their friends.

No one said a word. They just shook their heads, and he took that as his cue to continue.  Blaine ducked into the kitchen for a moment and came out carrying a 20oz bottle of diet coke.

Kurt’s eyes grew wide as he saw what was in Blaine’s hand. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Blaine replied.

“Blaine, no. I want a pass.”

“Come on Blaine. The last pass was invoked because something was potentially emotionally damaging. This is just potentially property damaging. Or structurally damaging.”

“What the hell?” said Sam.

Blaine grinned evilly, “I’ve discovered that if our Kurt here gulps down his diet coke too fast, you had better hope your homeowners insurance is paid up. He can belch so loud it will rattle anything you have on the wall.”

Quinn was skeptical. “This is OUR Kurt you’re talking about? Our Kurt, who is the epitome of Miss Manners?”

“That’s the one!” He thrust the bottle in Kurt’s hand. “Here ya go babe. Drink up. And I’ll know if you’re trying to fight it.”

Kurt glared at Blaine. “I hate you.”

Blaine grinned innocently back at Kurt. “No you don’t.”

“We’ll see about that.” Kurt sighed, took a deep breath, and began to chug the soda. About halfway through the bottle, he grimaced and stopped drinking. Opening his mouth, he let out the loudest burp anyone in the room had ever heard. Kurt heard a small clatter. He spun around and found that a picture frame that had been sitting on top of the entertainment center had toppled over.

Puck and Lauren scrambled to their feet and began to applaud and cheer. “Bravo! Bravo!” they yelled.

Kurt smacked Blaine on the shoulder. “You ass! You’re sitting right in front of the entertainment center. I know you knocked into it on purpose to tip it over!”

“No, I knocked into it to RATTLE the picture frames. The fact that one fell over was bonus.”

“UGH!” Kurt huffed, and he stormed dramatically out of the room.

“The dramatic storm out. I taught him all he knows,” said Rachel proudly.

“Hey Kurt?” Blaine yelled.

“WHAT?” Kurt snapped back.

“Chewbacca. So there.”

Kurt came back into the room and flopped onto the couch. “Fine. We’re even.” He held his hand out to Blaine so they could shake on it.

“Hey look!” said Rachel excitedly. “It’s 11:54 – the ball is going to drop in New York in six minutes! Turn on the TV, Finn!”

Finn flipped on the TV to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. “Is that man drinking formaldehyde?” scoffed Kurt. “He never changes much, except he looks more picked every year.”

“Not everyone has a strict skin care regimen like you, Kurt,” said Blaine. “You’re going to look like your 17 year old self when you’re 90, I’m pretty sure.”

“And you’re going to be there to see it?”

“Of course! Who else would put up with me and my Chewbacca drawers?”

“This is true…” Kurt considered.

“Eek!” Rachel squealed. “They’re beginning the countdown!”

The attached members of the Glee club scooted towards their significant others if they weren’t near them already.

10!

9!

8!

7!

6!

5!

4!

3!

2!

1!

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” everyone shouted at the top of their lungs.

Blaine turned to Kurt. “Still gonna kiss me even though I made you belch in front of your friends?”

“Maybe. You still gonna kiss me even though I made you moon the entire room in cutesy character undies?”

“I was considering it.”

“Quit thinking about it and kiss already, will ya?” Lauren said impatiently. “The rest of us have been done smooching for awhile, and Rachel won’t let us get into the New Year’s smorgasbord you’ve got going on in the kitchen until you guys are done.”

Kurt dramatically pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and said breathily, “I simply cannot work under such horrible conditions! The pressure is just too, too much!”

“Well, good thing for the rest of the Glee club, I CAN work under these conditions,” Blaine said as he yanked Kurt to him and proceeded to nearly devour his lips in a passionate kiss.

“Ugh, I will never get used to seeing Blaine eat my brother’s face,” Finn groused.

“Well, don’t watch. I think there’s a crumb of food somewhere you haven’t eaten yet. Go find it.” Kurt waved him off.

Finn vaulted out of the room, and Kurt cracked up. Not because he believed that Finn was that anxious to get away from him and Blaine, but because he knew Finn actually WAS heading to the kitchen to find food.

“Rachel, if you two ever get married, don’t have kids. You will NEVER be able to afford to feed any extra mouths with him around!” Kurt quipped. The entire room cracked up and headed into the kitchen with Blaine and Kurt trailing far behind.

“Well played, Mr. Hummel. Well played.”

“I can see I’m going to have my hands full with you, I’m sure.”

“That’s what he said!” Blaine yelled and ran for sanctuary in the kitchen.

“Oh good lord,” Kurt mumbled. “That boy is lucky he’s my entire world or I’d have to break up with him on the grounds of intolerably lame comments.” He smiled to himself and joined the rest of his friends in the kitchen.

 


	31. Chapter 31

“School’s been back for a week and a half. I’ve been assigned THREE papers, due in two weeks or less. How is that possible? I didn’t realize the teachers at McKinley were into sadism now,” Kurt complained. “It’s a damn good thing Coach Sylvester is at some sort of cheerleading conference. I could use the extra time to get ahead.”

Blaine just nodded as he trudged along a half step or so behind Kurt. Kurt stopped abruptly and turned to inspect Blaine. “You okay, sweetie?” Kurt asked. “You look kinda tired. Um, I didn’t keep you up too late last night, did I?” he mumbled under his breath, his face coloring slightly as he remembered in graphic detail WHY they were awake until 1am.

Blaine smiled as he got a mental picture of the previous night’s activities as well. “Well, we WERE up a little later than usual, but it was worth it. Just don’t tell your dad or he won’t let you stay over during the week.”

“Oh yeah,” Kurt said sarcastically. “Like I am going to pop Dad’s bubble of denial and tell him what we get up to late at night. Are you insane??”

“Relax, babe, I just meant don’t tell him we didn’t go to sleep until 1! That’s all!”

“Oh,” he blushed. “Oh yeah. I knew that.”

Blaine opened his mouth to speak but a giant yawn sneaked out. “Dang. I didn’t realize I’d be so TIRED! I feel like I haven’t slept in a week.”

“Well, all you need to do now is make it through Glee club rehearsal and you can go home and sleep.”

“Do you forget that I’m in most of the same classes as you and I have been assigned the same pile of insanity you have? I should get to work, too.”

Kurt nodded. Blaine was right – neither of them could really afford to take much time off from homework at the moment.

The boys entered the choir room where only Rachel and Finn had arrived for rehearsal so far. Kurt set down his bag and went to talk to Rachel while Blaine grabbed his usual spot and flopped down into his chair. His body was beginning to ache. He thought he was over all the achiness that his job in the Hummels’ garage inflicted upon him, but he had been away from it for a bit over the holiday break. Maybe he just needed to get used to it again.

Blaine found himself zoning through most of rehearsal. Mr. Schuester had produced a recording of their performance at Sectionals and played it for the group. Blaine was glad, because it meant that all he needed to do was sit there, upright and (mostly) awake. He really didn’t pay too much attention to the video, though he did form the opinion that the Warblers should have won. Their song selection was much stronger. He didn’t dare say that out loud to the New Directions, though. He would just make sure he voiced his opinion in the selection of the songs for Regionals.

“BLAAAAIIINNNEE WARBLER!” called Rachel as she waved her hands in front of his face. “Join us here on Earth.”

Blaine jerked in his seat at the sound of his name. “Sorry, long day.”

“That’s okay, Blaine,” said Mr. Schuester. “We were about to break for the day anyway.” He stopped next to Blaine as the others were gathering their belongings and making their way out the door. “You okay? You’re awfully out of it.”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just a little tired.”

Mr. Schuester paused for a moment to allow an opening for Blaine to add more information, but he didn’t. He nodded skeptically and added, “Well, I’m around if there’s anything you need to get off your chest.”

“Thanks Mr. Schue. I’ll let you know.”

Kurt bounced up to Blaine. “Ready to go, my love?”

“Absolutely. But, you want to just drop me off at home? I think I need homework time that’s not interrupted by my drooling over the gorgeous specimen sitting next to me.”

Kurt both pouted and flushed. He was sad that he wouldn’t be spending any time with Blaine that evening, but Blaine’s compliments always made him feel good. “Okay,” he said with obvious disappointment in his voice. “You’re mine for at least a couple of hours tomorrow night, though, okay?”

“Sounds wonderful, babe.”

They made a Skype date for later on that evening and Kurt sped off to his own home. Blaine walked up the front path and it took him several times to insert the key properly into the lock so it would turn.

 _Damn, I really am tired,_ Blaine thought _._ He sat down and tried to work his way through his homework, but it wasn’t much use. He’d drift off as soon as he set eyes on his paper. He sat through and determined that the only assignment he had that was due the next day could easily be completed during lunch if he sat in the library for the entire period, as the class it was for met after lunch. Everything else was either an ongoing project or was due more than two days from then.

Blaine repacked his messenger bag and flopped on the couch. He watched an hour or so of mindless television and then logged onto his computer for his chat date with Kurt. As much as he loved to chat about everything and nothing with his beloved, he just wasn’t into it that day.

“Kurt, honey, I hate to do this to you, but I think I’m just going to lie down, watch a crappy rerun or two, and then go to bed. I can’t keep focused on anything tonight.”

“You’re sure you’re okay, Blaine?” Kurt worried.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Nothing a good night’s rest won’t cure. I love you, Kurt.”

“Love you too, Blaine. Call me if you need me. Sleep well!”

“Thanks, babe. You too. Good night.”

Blaine shut down his computer and shut the lid. He contemplated turning on the television, but the remote was all the way on the other side of the room, and he just didn’t care enough to go that far to retrieve it.  He lifted the covers, and expending far more energy than he would have ever thought necessary, he crawled into bed, not even managing to fully cover himself before he was asleep.

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt eagerly made his way to his locker to await his boyfriend’s arrival. Kurt’s locker was in the main hallway, but because Blaine was a last minute transfer, his assigned locker was all the way in the back hallway of the east wing. He didn’t have any classes back there so he found it totally useless. Therefore, since Kurt’s was centrally located, it was designated as the morning meeting place and the storage place for some of Blaine’s things as well. The rest he just kept in his messenger bag, but it helped to have a place to leave heavier books during the day.

Ten minutes before the warning bell, Blaine still hadn’t arrived.

Five minutes before the warning bell, Kurt decided to wander the halls a bit and see if he could spot Blaine.

The warning bell rang. Still no Blaine.

Finally, as the final morning bell rang, Kurt scooted into his first period class just as the teacher was closing the door. The teacher glared at him but said nothing as Kurt took his seat.

Rachel was in this class, too, but she came from a different direction so Kurt decided to ask her if she had seen Blaine in a different part of the school.

“No, I haven’t seen him, but I pretty much never see him without you, or vice versa – you guys are pretty well attached at the hip.”

“I know. That’s what concerns me.”

He sent Blaine a text.

**_Blaine honey, where are you? – Kurt_ **

10 minutes later.

**_Blaine, where are you? I’m getting very worried. – Kurt_ **

Another 15 minutes later.

**_Blaine, PLEASE call me. I’m starting to get scared. This isn’t like you. – Kurt_ **

He texted Rachel next. She was sitting right beside him, but he didn’t want to get in trouble for talking during class.

**_Rachel – could you please send out a quick mass text to the gang and see if anyone else has seen him?  - Kurt_ **

_Of course. Give me a few. – R_

After about 10 minutes Kurt received a text. His heart skipped a beat, but it was just Rachel giving him an update.

_I’ve heard from all but Finn, but that’s because he’s in gym class. No one’s seen or heard from him. – R_

Kurt had a major lump in his throat. _DAMMIT Blaine,_ he thought. _You can’t do this to me again, not after last time you went MIA. I can’t take this again._

The bell for the end of first period rang. He had absolutely no idea what had happened the entire class period.

“Rachel – “

“I know, Kurt,” she interrupted. “I will copy my notes and make a note of the homework for you later.”

“Thank you Rachel. I appreciate it.”

“Please let me know what you find out about Blaine. Your anxiety has gotten me concerned, too.”

“I’ll keep you posted, and I’ll trust you to keep the gang updated since we’ve now brought them into this,” Kurt said.

Kurt decided to quick check with Mr. Schuester and see if he could offer any opinions. He headed to the choir room – Mr. Schuester had a first period Spanish class and then a second period prep, so he was likely in his office attached to the choir room by then.

“Kurt, what are you doing here? Don’t you have an English class this period?” he inquired.

“I do, but Mr. Schuester, I can’t find Blaine. No one has seen him, and I can’t get him to answer my calls or texts. I thought I’d come here on the off chance you might have seen him.”

“No, I can’t say that I have. You know, he might be home sick today. I noticed yesterday at rehearsal that he was looking pretty pale and a bit more subdued than usual. Normally we have to practically peel him off the ceiling but I don’t think he took flight at all. He claimed he was just tired, but maybe that wasn’t all.”

Kurt giggled. He may have been worried about Blaine, but Mr. Schuester was so right – Blaine was like an ADHD kid on speed and caffeine. No slowing that boy down. His expression immediately sobered, though. “I wonder... he did cut off our usual IM conversation a bit earlier than normal last night. He mentioned wanting to watch something on TV and turn in early, but maybe he was just trying not to concern me. I think I’ll call my dad and see if he’ll sign me out so I can go to Blaine’s house and check on him. Do you mind if I make my phone call here?”

“Not at all, Kurt. Take your time, and if all ends up being well, I’ll sign a pass for you to get back into class.”

“Thanks Mr. Schue.”

_“Hello?”_

“Dad, it’s me. Blaine didn’t show up to school today. No one has seen him, and I haven’t been able to get ahold of him. It’s not like him at all to not contact me.”

_“Are you sure he’s not just playing hookey?”_

“I’m sure, Dad. He would never not contact me or ignore my phone calls unless we were fighting, and we are most definitely not fighting right now. And Mr. Schuester pointed out that he looked really pale yesterday at rehearsal. I have a really bad feeling that he’s home sick and needs help.”

_“Okay, Kurt. I’ll get Randy to watch the office here at the shop for awhile and I will come sign you out. We’ll check on Blaine together.”_

“Thanks so much, Dad. I’ll see you soon.”

He hung up the phone and told Mr. Schue that he’d be leaving school. He then sent an update text to Rachel. His father showed up in record time and he went to the school office to meet him. Burt left his pickup truck in the school lot and they took Kurt’s Navigator to Blaine’s house – if for some reason Blaine needed to leave his house, there would be more room in Kurt’s vehicle for three people.

Kurt pulled up to Blaine’s house and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked just a bit harder. Still nothing. He put his ear to the door but couldn’t hear anything. Burt tried to peek in through the side window, but thanks to Kurt and his obsessive curtain habit, the windows were pretty well covered and he couldn’t see anything.

“Okay, I guess I’m going in.” Kurt dug through his keys and located the one for Blaine’s door. He easily turned the lock and swung open the door. Burt followed Kurt inside, but since Blaine wasn’t in the main part of the house, he stepped aside and let Kurt check the bedroom just in case Blaine was… indisposed or something. Kurt stepped into the bedroom and gasped. “DAD!” he screamed. “GET IN HERE!”

Burt flew into the room as Kurt threw himself down on the floor where Blaine was. He had obviously been trying to get to the bathroom but had collapsed just halfway there. “Oh God, Dad, his skin is on fire! And he’s trying really hard to breathe but he’s having so much trouble!”

“Let’s get him to the car, Kurt. The hospital isn’t far – I am pretty sure by the time they get an ambulance here we could already have him at the emergency room. Grab a blanket to wrap him in and then I’ll help you get him out to the car.”

Kurt quickly wrapped him up in the throw on the couch that they always cuddled in together and took a moment to locate his wallet. He was hoping that there would be some sort of insurance card in there, but if not, they’d worry about that later.

Together, Burt and Kurt were able to carry Blaine out to the car and get him settled in the back. “You stay with him, Kurt. I’ll drive.”

Kurt sat down in the back and pulled Blaine’s torso into his lap. “Blaine, sweetie, you have to be all right. I’m so scared. Please wake up,” he cried.

They had a couple more minutes to go before they would reach the hospital, so Kurt updated Rachel.

**_R – Blaine seriously ill. Collapsed on floor unconscious w/fever, trouble breathing. Heading to ER now. – Kurt_ **

Within moments, his phone blew up with messages of thoughts and prayers. For once in his life, he decided to accept the prayers in the spirit with which they were intended – as a comfort to him. He knew he had behaved badly with his friends when his father was deathly ill after his heart attack. They wanted nothing more than to be there for their friend, and he had pushed them away. This time, he was accepting any and all well wishes and prayers, because his Blaine needed to get well. Blaine was his life now.

Burt swung the Navigator into the emergency room parking lot and parked haphazardly. With the assistance of a tremendous burst of energy, Kurt was able to lift and carry Blaine by himself. _It’s about damn time tossing around cheerleaders was useful for something._

Kurt ran into the ER. “Please help us! I found him on the floor, barely breathing, and he’s burning up,” he choked out.

“Here, put him on this gurney.”

The receptionist pressed a button and a pair of nurses came out from behind a locked door to collect Blaine.

“Sir? What happened?”

“He didn’t come to school today and I couldn’t get ahold of him so I went to his house and found him on the floor and he was trying so hard to breathe and couldn’t and he’s burning up and – “ Kurt rambled.

“Sir, please calm down. We’ll take good care of him. What’s his name? Are you his next of kin?”

“His name is Blaine Anderson. He’s my son’s boyfriend,” said Burt. “He has no family other than us. He’s 18 and on his own.”

“We’ll let you know how he is as soon as we’ve examined him and gotten him stable.”

At that point the receptionist at the check in desk asked them to fill out some paperwork for Blaine. Thanks to Kurt’s quick thinking, Blaine’s wallet provided some necessary information, and because Kurt and Blaine liked to talk about anything and nothing, he was able to fill out a lot of the rest. It took him a while to wade through the paperwork, but finally he had completed as much as he felt comfortable answering on his own. As he was returning the forms and explaining to the woman at the desk that there were some things he couldn’t answer, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, are you here with Blaine Anderson?”

Kurt spun around to face the voice he heard behind him. “Yes, we are. I’m Kurt Hummel, this is my father Burt. How is Blaine doing?”

The doctor offered his hand for the Hummels to shake. “Hi, I’m Dr. Johnson. Blaine came to very briefly once we got him in the back. He was panicking, asking for Kurt, before he faded back out again, so I’m glad you’ll be here the next time he comes to. Blaine has caught himself a nasty case of influenza. His lungs were struggling mightily to breathe, but it was just too much work for them so we put him on a ventilator and sedated him so that his body could rest and recuperate. His body needs rest to fight the fever.”

“How long will it take for him to get better?”

“We’d like to have him on the vent overnight and then we’ll see tomorrow how he’s doing. We may be able to remove it then, or we may decide to go for an extra day. He shouldn’t be here more than a couple of days, but he is going to feel like death warmed over for awhile. Does he have anyone to stay with him until he’s able to take care of himself?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Kurt, you really – “

“Dad, we will discuss this later. Regardless, Blaine will have someone to take care of him at home, Doctor.”

“Sounds good. If you’d like to see him, we have him settled in room 342. Take the elevator to the third floor and then make a right as you get off. He’s down near the end of the hall.”

“Thank you so much, Doctor.”

“It’s quite all right, Kurt. If you have any questions, his nurse’s name is Angela and she’ll be able to help you out.”

The doctor went off to take care of his next patient, and Burt and Kurt made their way up to the third floor.

“Kurt, I know you want to help Blaine, but you’ve got school.”

“I know Dad. But I think I’ll be able to get Principal Figgins to allow me a week off without repercussions. I’m a good student, and chances are that Blaine will sleep a lot anyway. I can study while he’s asleep. Hopefully after a week Blaine will be feeling well enough where I can just check on him before school and during lunch and then take care of him after school. Maybe on days where there’s Glee club rehearsal I can get you or Carole or someone else’s parents to check on him for me so I don’t miss too much there.”

“It sounds like you’ve really got this figured out.” Burt agreed.

“There wasn’t much to figure out, Dad. He needs help. It’s obviously not going to come from his parents, not that I want it to, so it defaults to me. It’s easier for me to take off school than you or Carole to take off work, though I know you’d both do it in a heartbeat if necessary, so therefore me taking off school and staying with him is the only option.”

“I could probably call Finn in sick to school to help you with Blaine if you don’t want to miss so many days.”

“No offense to Finn, Dad, but out of the two of us, which one needs the class time more?”

“Point taken. Well, that settles it, then. Let me call Figgins, then, and we’ll see what we can do to get you excused from school. Today’s Friday, so I should probably excuse you through Friday of next week?”

“That sounds about right. As that day gets closer, we’ll reevaluate and see if I need more time. Don’t forget to have him excuse Blaine, too.” Kurt added.

“Will do. I’d like to see Blaine real quick, and then I’m going to call Carole for a ride so I can leave your car here with you. While I wait for her, I’ll get on the horn with Figgins and get you guys set. I will trust you to notify your friends and ask for help collecting homework.”

Kurt and Burt knocked on the door of room 342 and heard nothing. They didn’t expect an answer from Blaine, but they didn’t know if there might be any nurses in there doing anything important. Kurt took a deep breath and pushed in the door.

Kurt’s breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of his boyfriend in the hospital bed. Somehow, no matter how big you were in relation to the bed, hospital beds always made you look small and weak, and that was no exception here either. Blaine was shorter than Kurt anyway, but hooked up to all the various bits of equipment made him appear even smaller yet. Thankfully, otherwise he just looked like he had laid down for a nap.

Kurt leaned over him and kissed him on the cheek. “Hi honey. I came in as soon as they’d let me. I hope you’re feeling a little better now that you’ve got a machine doing the hard work for you.”

Burt reached out a hand and tousled Blaine’s hair. “You scared the hell out of us, young man. You get better soon so I can kick the crap out of you for scaring us half to death. Or hug the crap out of you. I promise that’s far more likely.”

Kurt smiled. His dad knew how to lighten a mood. Burt kissed Blaine on the forehead and then did the same to Kurt. “I’ll bring the others back at dinner time to visit and to bring you something to eat. If I know you, you won’t eat unless forced, so know now that dinner is coming and start giving your stomach a pep talk,” he promised.

“I will Dad. Thank you so much.”

“For what?” Burt was genuinely surprised.

“For being with me and helping me take care of Blaine.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s a father’s job to take care of his sons. My sons may not all be mine by blood, but they are mine by choice, and that isn’t any less powerful.”

“I love you so much Dad. I will see you soon.”

“Love you too, boys. Bye!”

Kurt leaned back in the highly uncomfortable hard plastic chair at Blaine’s bedside. He was dying to sneak up on Blaine’s bed and curl up next to him, but he was pretty sure it was against the rules and he didn’t want to piss off any hospital staff.

“Hi, my name is Angela, and I’m the nurse taking care of Blaine this morning.”

“Hi Angela, I’m Kurt.”

“Nice to meet you. Is Blaine your boyfriend?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“The love in your eyes is very visible.” Angela smiled, “And most platonic friendships between men don’t include hand holding, like you’re doing right now.”

“I guess that would probably be a good indication. Yes, we are together.”

“You must have been together for quite awhile.”

Kurt closed his eyes, then sighed, “It’s been close to a year now.”

“That’s wonderful. That’s a long time for any relationship of kids your age to last.”

“Well, I hope it will continue to be much longer than that. I wasn’t sure I believed in the whole soulmate concept until I met Blaine, and when I did, I knew pretty much right away that I had met my other half.”

“What about him?” She prompted.

“He was a little slower to figure it out. But I was patient. I knew if I didn’t let him figure it out himself, it would hinder more than it would help. And here we are.”

“I have to tell you that you two make a beautiful couple, even with one of you pretty far under the weather.”

“Wait ‘til you see him well. You need sunglasses to protect you from his smile!” Kurt bragged.

“I suspect the same of you when he’s well.”

“You are probably right. I can’t seem to wipe the grin off my face when I’m around him.”

“I’ve got to go see my next patient – do you have any needs or questions?”

“Are there any more comfortable chairs lurking somewhere? I don’t have enough padding on my rear end to sit in this chair for very long.”

Angela nodded in agreement, “I will see what I can scrape up. If you can hang in there for a couple of hours, I should be able to find something.”

“Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”

Nurse Angela stepped out of the room to complete her rounds and Kurt took that opportunity to text his friends. Now that everything had settled down, Kurt was able to send the mass update to everyone himself.

**_All – Blaine stable, sedated, on vent. Influenza, in hospital for couple days, then home rest. Will be staying at his place once discharged. – Kurt_ **

Again, almost as soon as the message was sent, he was already receiving responses back. Whether they were asking how they could help or just offering comfort or prayers, every last one of the Glee clubbers texted him back. It felt really, really good to know that all of these people were there for him in some way. He sent out another text.

**_All – thanks for your support and well wishes. Glad you are here for us. Will keep in touch. Love you all – Kurt (and Blaine)_ **

Every last response he received for that text said the exact same thing: We love you too.

Kurt read each and every one out to Blaine. He kissed his cheek and added, “Blaine, sweetie, we have the best friends that anyone could ever have.”


	32. Chapter 32

“Kurt, I don’t like this…”

“Dad, they’ve got to know. I know his father is a horrible, horrible man, but I think his mom would at least like to know that her son is sick enough to be unconscious in a hospital on a ventilator.”

“But she abandoned him, too. She went along with his father’s plans and didn’t try to change his mind.”

“I know, Dad, but something deep down tells me that they should know. I’m sure nothing will come of it, but it just seems like the right thing to do, for some reason.”

Burt conceded. “I still don’t like it. At all. But if you insist on going, I want Finn to go with you.”

“But Dad – “ Kurt protested.

“No buts, Kurt. Finn doesn’t have to go up to the door with you, but I want him to be at least watching from the car, just in case Blaine’s father is there and tries to do something he shouldn’t.”

“All right. I can’t really argue with that. I do want to talk to them myself, though, so as long as he stays in the car, I’m okay with it.”

Burt relented with this instruction, “OK then, but if there’s any point where you feel threatened, Kurt, run. Get the hell out of there as fast as you can.”

“I will, Dad.”

**xXxXxXx**

“Hi Mrs. Anderson. I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Kurt Hummel, your son’s boyfriend.”

“I have no son.”

“Mrs. Anderson, please don’t be this way. I didn’t want to disturb you, but I just wanted to let you know that Blaine is sick and at Lima General Hospital. He’s unconscious and on a ventilator.” Kurt was interrupted by a small gasp from Blaine’s mother.

“He’ll be fine, the doctors are certain. He’s got a wicked case of influenza and they intubated him to give his lungs a much needed hand. We found him on the floor – “

“Stop. I don’t want to hear anymore of this. Blaine is no longer our concern.”

“But Mrs. Anderson, surely you can’t tell me you don’t feel something…”

“I said, BLAINE IS NO LONGER OUR CONCERN.”

Something hit Kurt just then. He remembered Blaine telling him once that his mother didn’t look like she was totally onboard with his father’s actions the night he was kicked out. That she was going along with Mr. Anderson solely because she didn’t know any better and had no other choice. Kurt could see the same defeat and resignation in Mrs. Anderson’s face now that Blaine saw then.

“He’s in there, isn’t he? You’re just saying that for his benefit?” Kurt asked softly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mrs. Anderson refused to look Kurt in the eye when she spoke, which spoke volumes to Kurt.

“Sure you do. You’re letting a man get in the way of your own son. He may be Blaine’s father, but he’s definitely not his dad. It takes very little to donate DNA and make a baby, but it takes a real man to be a dad. I see now that Mr. Anderson never has, and never will be, Blaine’s dad. I can see how much Blaine craves a dad by how desperately he clings to every scrap of attention he receives from my own father. My father considers him his third son and dotes on him every bit as much as he does me. He shouldn’t have to compensate for Mr. Anderson, but he does, because he recognizes what a wonderful, amazing person Blaine is. It’s quite a pity that you and your husband don’t recognize that. Well, I suspect YOU do, but you’re too far underneath Mr. Anderson’s thumb to look out and think for yourself. I can tell you want to go to Blaine – you can hide behind your words, but your emotions will tell on you every single time. And right now I can see a battle of mother vs. wife raging on your face. I do need to tell you, though, that you need to make a choice. If you go to him, you need to keep going to him. I can’t have you constantly getting his hopes up. His heart won’t be able to take it. On the other hand, if you decide not to see him, I’ll have to ask you to never try to. I’m not his keeper, but he has entrusted me with his heart, and I’m going to do whatever I can to ensure it doesn’t get broken again.”

“What’s going on out here?” John Anderson pushed past his wife onto the front porch. “Oh it’s you. That fag Blaine thinks he’s in love with.”

“Yes, Mr. Anderson, I am your son’s boyfriend.”

“He is NOT my son. He stopped being my son as soon as he refused to stop being gay.”

“I’d give you the usual speech about how being gay is not a choice, but I’d be wasting my breath with you. And that just seems wrong to me, sitting here wasting my breath while Blaine is in the hospital so desperately trying to catch his.”

“What’s the matter? Did those guys who beat the shit out of him at his old school finally come back to finish the job? Did they get some good licks in, at least?”

Kurt was horrified. “What in the HELL is WRONG with you? You are despicable! I can’t believe you just said that! I can’t believe you’re standing here essentially telling me that you hope Blaine got beaten. Again! How horrible of a person must you be to wish that on someone? For what it’s worth, he’s in the hospital with influenza, a really bad case of it, and he’s on a breathing tube. He was NOT beaten up, and he’s not going to be, because he’s a hell of a lot safer where he is than he was here with YOU.”

Mr. Anderson had had quite enough of being berated by Kurt. “That’s IT, fairy boy. You’re about to get what’s coming to you,” he growled as he made a fist and lunged toward Kurt.

“HEY!” Finn yelled from the car. “DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!” He made a run for the porch and made it there in record time.

Mrs. Anderson caught Mr. Anderson’s arm mid-swing and stopped him from hitting Kurt just in time. Unfortunately, his anger was immediately transferred from Kurt to his wife and she received a fist to the jaw. The cracking sound her neck made as her head snapped backward could be heard by all. “Holy shit, we gotta get out of here, Kurt, this guy’s crazy!”

“Yeah, get your faggy little asses off my property before I teach you a lesson.”

“Better a fag than an ASSHOLE!” Finn shouted.

“I hope you rot in HELL,” Kurt snarled at Blaine’s father. “Mrs. Anderson – 342!”

Finn grabbed Kurt’s hand and started running back to the car. Kurt was nearly dragged as Finn had caught him off guard, but he managed to stay upright. “Get in, I’ll drive,” commanded Finn.

They threw themselves in the vehicle and Finn started driving like a bat out of hell. “I have to call 911.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Mrs. Anderson. She’s hurt, and she’s trapped in that marriage. Chances are it won’t help anything, but I want to try. It’s Blaine’s mom. He knows she’s only going along with his father’s hate because she is terrified. He still loves her, and she still loves him. I need to do this.”

“I see your point. But don’t tell them your name.”

“I’m not planning on it.”

Kurt pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “911, what is your emergency?”

“I’d like to report a domestic assault…”

**xXxXxXx**

Later that evening, a woman lurked in the shadows of the long hospital corridor. She was careful not to be seen for fear of having to answer questions about the bruises on her face. She observed a nurse entering room 342 and then exiting approximately five minutes later. She waited until the nurse entered another room and then hurriedly made her way into the room.

“Blainey, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I can’t leave your father. I just can’t. It’s too late for me. I’ll never get out of this alive – it’s just easier to stay. But you, Blainey, you’re free. Don’t ever come back or he’ll drag you back into his pit of hate. Don’t ever try to see me because he’ll just be using me to hurt you. I don’t want that. I want you to live your life to the fullest. Be with your true love, create a family if you want it, and realize all your dreams. I’m letting you fly free, Blaine.  Have a good life. I love you.”

She placed a feather-light kiss on his still-blazing forehead and left the room, the click of the door as it shut ringing in her ear as she closed the door to this part of her life.

**xXxXxXx**

“Hey baby, I’m here. How do you feel this morning?” Kurt knew he wasn’t going to get an answer in return, but he didn’t mind. He figured somewhere in his sedated little head, Blaine was listening, and Kurt was going to speak to that part.

“We’re going to have to talk a bit when you’re awake and feeling better. No worries, though, this isn’t the bad ‘We need to talk’ talk, this is just a ‘there are some things I need to tell you’ talk. Oh, and guess what? As soon as you wake up, they’re going to let you have visitors other than me and Dad! That is, if you’re up for seeing them. I know most of the Glee clubbers are kind of overwhelming, but individually they’re not so terrible. You’ve got to at least see Rachel and Mercedes, though. They are driving me NUTS wanting updates on your condition on a minute-by-minute basis. I kid you not, my text history with Rachel from later last night says ‘How is he?’ and I say ‘He’s resting comfortably for the night,’ and then TWO minutes later, and the time stamps on the texts will back me up, she says, ‘How about now?’ If Rachel would just channel all the energy she uses on being irritating into improving her attitude, she would actually be very pleasant to be around most of the time.

“So, we’re hoping to break you out of this joint soon. Yesterday the doc said they’d evaluate your condition and see if you were breathing well enough to get this awful tube removed. Then they’ll check you over to see if you can come home. And guess what? I’ll be living with you for a few days to take care of you! The doctor doesn’t think you’ll be feeling well enough to care for yourself for awhile. So make sure you don’t try to give me any crap about not wanting any help or any nonsense like that, ‘cause I’m coming whether you like it or not.”

Kurt paused to gather his thoughts and caressed Blaine’s arm. The doctor came in the room just as Kurt was kissing him softly on the cheek.

“Hey, nothing that will make his heart pound too fast, young man!” joked the doctor.

“Good morning, Dr. Johnson. You’re in a good mood today.”

“That’s probably because I’m finally checking on a patient whose family isn’t going to drive me up a tree,” he smiled.

Kurt laughed. “Well, I could certainly arrange to be annoying. Or better yet, I could bring in my brother’s girlfriend and let her have at you.”

Dr. Johnson let out a great chuckle. “I think not, Kurt. I think I’d rather have one safe haven left in this hospital!”

“You and me both.” Kurt rolled his eyes dramatically, “She plans on coming to visit Blaine as soon as visitors are allowed and I’m already dreading it. She’s also one of my best friends, but you really gotta be in the mood to deal with her, and after the last day I’ve had, that mood is NOT present now.”

“I completely understand. Shall we check your boy and see what the story is?”

“Absolutely. I’m anxious to be able to take him home as soon as possible.”

The doctor examined Blaine and said, “Well, I think we’ll give him another couple of hours on the vent – it’ll probably take me that long to get someone up here to remove the tube anyway since we’re on the busy side this morning. I’m sure he’ll be just fine without it. We’re going to start waking him up now though. We’ll want him awake when we remove the tube, so I’m just going to go ahead and turn off the sedation.”

“Did you hear that, honey? The doctor is going to bring you back to me now! And it’s about time. I missed your beautiful brown eyes.”

Dr. Johnson observed the one-sided interaction and smiled. He wished every couple he’d seen was that sweet. He couldn’t wait ‘til Blaine woke so he could see them together.

“Well, the sedation meds are officially off so as they wear off, he’ll begin to come out of his little fog. He’ll probably be a little freaked out when he figures out he’s got a tube down his throat, so when it looks like he’s gonna wake up, I’d like you to be right there to calm him and prevent him from grabbing it. It’s a totally normal reaction, but the last thing we want is for him to take that thing out himself.”

“I can do that.” Kurt was happy to have a way to help.

“Great. Call the nurse as you see him coming to, and I’ll be back to check on him later.”

“Thank you so much, we really appreciate it.”

Kurt sat down and grabbed Blaine’s hand in both of his.

“So sweets, you’re gonna wake up soon. Did you miss me? I sure missed you. You scared me to death when I found you on the floor yesterday. My entire life collapsed in a heap on the floor right in front of me. You do realize how much you mean to me, right? How much better my life is with you in it? You remember how my dad said that he didn’t realize it until I met you and fell in love with you, but never saw me truly happy til we met. And that’s true. I mean, I’ve had a decent life up til now. Sure, my mom died which was excruciating, and sure Karofsky is an asshole, but that’s not my fault. Other than that, though, I really can’t complain too much. But then we started dating and the candlelight in my life all of a sudden was switched out with a floodlight. Things were much brighter. That’s because of you, baby. You are the light of my life. So hurry up and wake up. I’m looking forward to having my light back.”

“God I hate you sometimes, Kurt,” said a voice behind him.

Kurt whipped around and saw Finn standing behind him. “Why would you say something like that, Finn?”

“You make the rest of us guys look bad, dude. If the girls catch wind of that amazing little speech there, we guys are going to be in SERIOUS trouble. Oh, and sorry I said that, by the way. I was only being sarcastic.”

“I know Finn. It’s okay. I’m just a wee bit sensitive at the moment. You can’t blame me for that.”

“Not at all,” agreed Finn. “You amaze me, Kurt. I can’t believe how well you’re holding it together.”

“If I’m being terribly honest, once I get him home and situated, I may just go outside and have a big cry and let it all out.” Kurt admitted.

“You need it. And you deserve it. I’m pretty sure you’re probably the best boyfriend in the history of boyfriends to Blaine.”

“I don’t know about that, Finn, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

A soft groan could be heard from the bed. Kurt’s face lit up as he realized that Blaine was starting to wake up just a bit.

“Blaine, could you do me a favor and go hold his other hand? The doctor said he’ll probably be scared when he wakes up and realizes he’s got a tube, and the knee jerk reaction will be to try to yank it. I need to keep his hands away from it until I can calm him.”

Finn picked up Blaine’s other hand. “Man his hand is soft.”

“Yeah, I’ve got him addicted to Bath and Body Works just like I am. Though I’m sure you’ll be happy to know, that he at least shops from the men’s line.”

“I haven’t admitted this because Puck would revoke my man card, but I was going to ask him what scent he used – Rachel smelled it on him and really liked it.”

Kurt laughed. “It’s called Twilight Woods. It’s actually like the only scent they have that is made for both men and women – maybe if you don’t want to wear it yourself, you can buy her some of the lotion.”

“Heck no, I’d buy it for me. If she’s wearing it herself she has no incentive to get closer to me.”

“Smart thinking, Finn.”

Just then, Blaine groaned louder than before and started to thrash about on the bed. Kurt quickly smashed the nurses call button and informed the nurse who responded that Blaine was waking. He then commanded Finn to just hang on and hang in there.

“Blaine, Blaine honey, calm down. Stop moving, just lie still. Everything’s okay. We’ve got you.”

Blaine looked wildly around the room, and his eyes focused on Kurt. His eyes were panicked and questioning.

“Hey baby, there you are! I’m glad you’re awake. Do you have any idea where you are or why you’re here?”

Blaine nodded his head, but tentatively.

“Don’t remember much, huh?”

He shook his head.

“That’s okay, hon. I’ll fill you in. The Readers Digest Condensed Version is that you didn’t show up at school, I couldn’t get ahold of you, I got worried, and Dad and I showed up at your place and found you passed out on the floor with a high fever and you could barely breathe. We rushed you here and you were admitted with a bad case of influenza. They sedated and intubated you so you could breathe and rest. You’ve been like this overnight, and the doctor just pulled your sedation meds. They were waiting for you to wake up so they could pull you off the ventilator. Feel like you’re ready to get rid of that tube?”

Blaine nodded.

“I bet – that thing looks like it totally sucks.”

Blaine nodded and then squeezed Finn’s hand.

“Oh hey, Blaine. Glad you’re up. Kurt’s been going insane with you out of it. He asked me to hold your hand while you were waking up so you didn’t try to pull at your tube. I can let go now.”

Blaine squeezed his hand and shook his head.

“No?” asked Finn. “Okay, no problem. I can keep holding on.”

Blaine smiled the best he could as if to say thanks. He then looked over at Kurt. He pulled his hand away and made the sign for I love you with his hand.

Kurt’s heart melted just a little bit more than before. “I love you too, Blaine. So much.”

Blaine took Kurt’s hand again just as a nurse came in. “Ahh, Mr. Anderson, I see you’ve decided to rejoin us.”

He nodded. “I trust Kurt has told you what happened to you?”

He nodded again. “Excellent. I bet you’re ready to get that thing out, huh?”

Blaine nodded much more enthusiastically than before, and the nurse laughed. “I totally understand. Those things are a big pain in the ass. We will go ahead and take it out in about twenty minutes or so. It looks like you’ll probably do just fine without it. I’ll be one of the nurses helping you out, but my partner is still working on her rounds and needs a few more minutes.”

“Sounds great,” said Kurt. “Finn, would you mind hanging out here with Blaine for a few moments? I need to quick run and do something.”

“What – “ Finn tried to ask, but Kurt rushed past him and flew down the hall. He reached a lesser used stairway and leaned up against the wall. And then… he cried.

They were mostly tears of relief, to be sure, but the look on Blaine’s face when he woke up and was trying to figure out what had happened to him was pure fear, and it broke Kurt’s heart to see it. And to see him thrashing about was scary to Kurt, too. He was so glad he was there to be the first person Blaine saw – the last thing he wanted was for Blaine to wake up in an unfamiliar place in a scary situation with nothing but people he had never seen before.

Kurt continued to cry, though more quietly by now. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up.

“You okay, man?” Finn asked. Kurt opened his mouth to ask who was with Blaine but Finn cut him off. “Don’t worry, Burt is in there, and he’s fine.”

Kurt sighed with relief, and then took a couple of deep breaths, trying to compose himself. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Just overwhelmed, you know? I’m glad the scariest stuff is almost over because I’m not sure how much I can take in one batch.”

“It’ll all be fine. I have never met anyone as strong as you. Blaine too. Minor bump in the road, brother.”

Kurt grinned at Finn. The two of them had been bonding quite a bit since school let out. Gone was all the awkwardness of Kurt’s former crush on Finn, and Finn had been forgiven for his part in Kurt and Blaine’s breakup. A relationship between them would have never succeeded even if Finn had been gay, but they made pretty good brothers.

“C’mon, Kurt. I bet they’re just about ready to remove the tube. When I left, Blaine was able to breathe as well as the nurses wanted him to.”

They arrived back at room 342 and a nurse stopped them at the door. She pointed at Finn and said “I’m going to want you to stay out here. Kurt – you can come in if you like but you’re going to need to stay as far out of the way as possible.”

Finn chuckled. “He’s tall and skinny. He can squeeze himself into any corner.”

Kurt scanned the room and figured out the best place for him to stand while still being able to hold Blaine’s hand. He wanted to make sure Blaine had as much support as he needed.

“All righty,” the nurse addressed Blaine. “Here’s how it’s going to fly. You’re going to take a deep breath. We’re going to gently, but quickly, remove the tube. And they you’re going to need to cough for us. It’s not going to be a comfortable thing, and your throat is going to be pretty raw afterward so I don’t recommend talking if you can get away with it. Got it?”

Blaine nodded and shot the nurse a thumbs up sign.

“Okie doke.” And it all happened as she said. Blaine took a deep breath and held it. The blasted tube was removed as quickly and as gently as possible, and Blaine started coughing. When it all stopped, Blaine had a look of horror on his face and grabbed his throat.

“Hurts like hell, doesn’t it? That’ll dissipate with time. Just try not to talk if you can help it.”

Blaine shot a look at Kurt. Kurt smiled. “I know, baby.” He then addressed the nurse. “He wants to know how long it’ll be before he can use his voice. We’re both singers so I know it’s very important to him.”

“Well, let’s see. Talking will be fine as soon as the fire in your throat starts burning out. Singing, especially if you do it more than casually, I’d try to refrain for a couple of weeks. Singing can put a lot of pressure on healing throats.”

Blaine raised his eyebrows and looked worried. Kurt said, “He’s worried. Our Glee club is going to compete at the show choir Regionals very soon, and he wanted to audition for a solo.” He turned to Blaine. “It’s okay honey. Mr. Schue and the rest of the club know exactly how good you are. I’m sure you’ll be considered for whatever solo you want even if you’re not up for auditioning for it when the time comes.” Blaine looked down and fiddled with the sheets with a small frown. “I know you had a fabulous number planned, but really. You’ll have a chance to show us later. Save it for auditions for Nationals. And before you give me that pouty look again, yes, we’re going to Nationals. Keep the faith!”

“How in the world do you do that?” asked the nurse. “You boys are so in tune!”

“We were made for each other. Plus I am an expert at reading Blaine Anderson facial expressions. Probably because I just can’t help constantly looking at him.” Blaine’s smile grew wide and he mouthed the words I love you to Kurt. “Love you too, my little sickie,” he said as he leaned over to give Blaine a peck on the cheek. Blaine broke into another coughing fit almost as soon as Kurt’s lips made contact and Kurt broke away quickly to avoid being coughed on. Blaine stuck out his lower lip and gave Kurt his patented puppy dog eyes. “Don’t even try to apologize to me, my love. I KNOW that isn’t something you can help.”

“How are you feeling, Blaine? Do you feel like you can take deep breaths?” Blaine held out his hand flat and tipped it from side to side in a “so-so” gesture. “Feeling kinda wheezy?” He nodded. “Yep, I can even hear it from here. We’re going to want to take you down for a chest x-ray to take a peek at your lungs and see what’s up. Well, I will leave you guys alone for a few moments, and then someone will come by for Blaine. Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

Blaine pasted the most innocent look he could muster on his face. Kurt opened his mouth to translate, but the nurse chuckled and said, “Don’t even bother. I got this. Yes, Blaine, you DO look like you would try to get into some trouble if I didn’t know you were trying to hide the fact that you still feel like garbage.”

Blaine snapped his fingers with a flourish as if to say Dammit, you got me.

A short wait later, he was taken for a chest x-ray, and after that was done, he and Kurt were sitting in his room with Burt, Carole, and Finn waiting for the doctor to come talk with them.

The doctor breezed into the room. “Hate to say it kid, but it looks like you’ve developed pneumonia on top of everything.”

Blaine’s face morphed into a “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me” look.

“Sorry kid, but sometimes that happens. It’s a possible effect of being on the vent. Believe me, though, we had to do it. Pneumonia sucks, but not being able to breathe sucks more. We’re going to want to keep you here at least another night so we can start you on a course of antibiotics. Once we have proof that they’re taking hold and starting to do you some good, we will get you out of here so you can rest and recover at home. We’re also going to show you guys how to do chest percussion, which will help loosen the crud in Blaine’s lungs so he can cough it up. ”

Blaine signed the letters F. M. L. Kurt giggled, and Blaine glared at him. “Yeah, yeah, yeah babe. I know. But that look on your face is priceless. You look like a little kid who was shown the world’s largest candy store but forced to sit outside the door and eat a giant bowlful of Brussels sprouts. You’re lucky I’m not taking a pic of you and posting it on your Facebook page.”

Blaine crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at Kurt. “Hey, be nice. I still could, you know.”

Before Kurt and his family left the hospital for the evening, he was given his first demonstration on how to do the chest percussions. It looked like the routine consisted of firmly patting him with a cupped hand over his chest and then encouraging him to cough. “Uh, Blaine sweetie? Remind me to remind you to cover your mouth with a towel or something when we do this. If I see someone spit, I gag. I have no problem with any other bodily functions, but spit and phlegm? Ugh, no.” Blaine reached his hand out and the nurse put a towel in it, and then Blaine proceeded to cough some more. Kurt backed away a few steps just to ensure he didn’t see anything. 

“You okay now?” he asked Blaine. Blaine nodded and reached his arms out to Kurt. Kurt made a beeline for him and Blaine grabbed him tight. Then he drew back and took Kurt’s hand. He straightened out Kurt’s fingers so his entire hand was flat, and then he took his pointer finger and drew the letters T-H-A-N-K-Y-O-U into his palm. Kurt beamed. “No thanks necessary, honey. I love you, and this is what we do when we love each other. We take care of each other. I will always be here for you.”

Kurt kissed Blaine on the forehead and then tucked him in. “I will be back in the morning as soon as visiting hours start. Maybe tomorrow we’ll hear some news about when I can take you home. Sleep as well as you can, and I will see you soon, okay?” Blaine nodded. “I love you with all my heart. Good night!” Blaine made the I love you sign with his hand again and then blew Kurt a kiss. Kurt caught it with his hand, brought his hand to his lips, and left the room. Blaine snuggled into his bed and closed his eyes with a smile on his face.


	33. Chapter 33

Kurt was sitting with Blaine on Blaine’s bed waiting for the doctor to make his rounds. Technically, Kurt really shouldn’t have been up on the bed, but nurse Angela loved the boys so much that she let anything that didn’t endanger Blaine pass. Kurt seemed to be pretty good for Blaine’s morale in her opinion, so she encouraged it as long as they didn’t do anything they shouldn’t be doing.

Kurt had been there for a few hours before the doctor arrived. As soon as he walked in the door, Kurt launched himself off the bed. He barely let the doctor cross the threshold before he started bombarding him with questions, the most important of them being, “Can I take him home now?”

The doctor laughed. “Yes, Kurt, I think you can bring him home now. Obviously there will be some prescriptions you will need to fill for him, and he’ll need to have help for a few days until he’s feeling better, but I think he’s improved enough where he can do this at home in his own bed.”

Kurt squealed and bounced a couple of times. The doctor raised an eyebrow at Blaine, and Blaine shrugged and held up his hands. “I’m sorry,” Kurt apologized. “I just hate hospitals. My dad was so sick last year, I almost lost him, and I’ve already lost my mom, so I just want him out of here as soon as possible. I am SO over hospitals.”

“Don’t worry kid, we want Blaine out of here ASAP, too. As much as the staff has grown to love you two in such a short time, we don’t want to see you here again.” Addressing Blaine, he said “I’ll get your discharge papers ready, your nurse will be in to go over home care with you again to make sure you’ve got it down, and we’ll let you go.”

Carole walked into Blaine’s room just as they were getting him ready to leave. “Where’s Dad?” Kurt asked.

“Well, he couldn’t take any more time away from the garage, so I decided to come. Blaine, how are you feeling?”

“Better,” he rasped. He had slowly been trying to use his voice, and while it was still raw, it was starting to lose some of the fire.

“Good. Let’s see, I believe Kurt brought you some clothes for you to wear home. Do you need any help changing?”

Blaine looked at Kurt questioningly. “Don’t worry, baby,” Kurt assured him. “I promise I just brought you some sweats and a t-shirt. I went for comfort over fashion. THIS TIME. Next time you may not get off so easily.”

“No, I don’t need any help. And thanks for the comfy clothes. I couldn’t possibly even stand jeans today, let alone anything considered fashionable,” Blaine whispered.

“Honey, don’t whisper. It’s harder on your voice than just speaking regularly at a lower volume,” Kurt scolded.

“Yes MOM,” Blaine grumbled.

“Don’t start with me, Blaine, or this is going to be a long recovery period for both of us. I love you dearly but just because you’re sick doesn’t mean you get to be rude, okay?”

“Yes, Kurt. I’m sorry,” Blaine said, taking Kurt’s advice and adjusting his speaking voice. _Huh_ , he thought. _It DOES feel a little better._

As he changed, Kurt texted his friends. **_All – Blaine is finally coming home! – Kurt._**

Even though it had only been a couple of days, it felt like it had been a month to Kurt. He was thrilled to be helping his boyfriend into a wheelchair for the walk out to the car. Car. Going home. Finally. And he would be living with Blaine for the next week or two. He was excited to discover what that would be like. He knew it would be different purely because Blaine was sick and Kurt was there in a caretaker role, but living with his boyfriend, even temporarily. Wow!

Kurt helped Blaine get into the Navigator and Carole loaded Blaine’s belongings into the back.

“Kurt, please call any one of us if you need any help. Would you like me to bring some groceries over for you later?” Carole asked.

“Would you please? That would be so helpful,” said Kurt.

“Ice cream. Lots of ice cream,” Blaine begged.

“Hon, ice cream tends to make you phlegmy, and that might not be so good for you right now. Can we compromise on sorbet or popsicles?” Kurt offered.

“Kurt, I’m sick. Why can’t I have what I want?” Blaine whined.

Kurt rolled his eyes. He was already beginning to sense that Blaine was going to be a rather difficult patient. “Tell you what. Carole, get him a PINT, no more, of ice cream, and bring some sorbet along with it. Once he eats the ice cream, he may discover that I have a point.”

Blaine turned away from Kurt in a huff.  Kurt mumbled to himself, “What in the HELL did I sign up for?” and stalked over to the driver’s side of the vehicle.

Carole, with grocery list in hand, headed back to her car, trying to hold back a smile just in case the boys could still see her. Once she got in and shut the door, she burst out laughing. She laughed until she almost cried. Those two were going to be an interesting pair while Blaine was sick, and she almost wished Blaine was living at their place instead of in his own home for the duration so she could see it. The honeymoon would definitely be over by the time this was finished!

**xXxXxXx**

**“THAT IS IT!”** Kurt screamed. “I have HAD it with you, Blaine Anderson. I understand you’ve been sick, but you have treated me like crap for FAR TOO LONG.”

“Maybe if you wouldn’t treat me like such a damn BABY I wouldn’t be so crabby!”

“WHAT have I DONE that is treating you like a baby?”

Blaine slipped into a high pitched voice. “Oh here honey, drink this, it’s good for you. No, no, honey, you can’t eat that, it will make you cough. Get up, I’m going to change your sheets. Get up again, I put the wrong ones on your bed. Oh Blaine, your tissues missed the trash can again. Oh here, it’s time to take your temperature.” He finished mocking Kurt and went back to his regular voice. “I am 18 years old, Kurt. I am a man and I want to be treated like one.”

“Well you could have fooled me!” he spat. “Kurt, I need another blanket. Kurt, this one’s too scratchy. Kurt, I want ice cream. Kurt, this is the wrong kind. Kuuuurrrrrtttt, I don’t FEEEELLLL good. Kurt this, Kurt that, and NEVER have I ONCE heard a THANK YOU. I am sacrificing my time and my school work to be here to take care of you BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. I will do many, many things for you, Blaine, but being treated like a doormat isn’t one of them.” He stopped momentarily to collect himself. “And for your information, I have been teased all my life about my high pitched voice. It may seem like I don’t mind it, but I do. A lot. And for you, YOU of all people, to make fun of me for that? I didn't think that's who you were… I’m leaving now before I say something I regret.”

“Kurt, please don – “

“Just shush. You’ll be fine by yourself for a little while. I will send Carole to look after you. She won’t put up with your crap either, but at least I know you won’t make fun of her when all she’s doing is trying to take care of someone she loves.” He grabbed his messenger bag and his laptop off the table. “Let me know when MY Blaine is back. I’ve had enough of this one.”

“Kurt, I –“ The door slammed, cutting him off. “FUCK!”

Blaine flopped down on the bed screaming into his pillow as loud as his still healing lungs would allow him. Eventually the screams changed to silent tears; he was too exhausted to cry loudly.

About an hour later, he heard a key in the lock and he shot out of bed. “Kurt?” he called.

“Oh no, I’m sorry sweetheart, it’s just me,” said Carole apologetically.

Disappointed, Blaine said, “Oh hi, Carole,” rather dejectedly. The pout on Blaine’s face was so large Carole had a hard time holding back a laugh, but she managed, not wanting to make the boy feel worse.

“So… you and Kurt?”

“So… I fucked up.”

“Blaine…”

“Sorry Carole. I messed up.”

She sat down on the bed next to Blaine and held her arms out. It was times like this where he really missed having a mom to hold him, so he immediately burrowed into her embrace, and she held him tight. “Tell me about it?”

“Apparently, I have been a whiny ungrateful ass, sorry, butthead, to Kurt lately. He informed me that I haven’t once thanked him for anything he’s done. And I’m embarrassed to have to admit it, but _I may have mocked his high speaking voice while we were fighting_.” Blaine mumbled the last few words in shame.

Carole pushed him back slightly from her arms and slapped him upside the head.

“Ouch, Carole! What was that for?”

“I may not have raised you, Blaine, but I am sure you were raised better than to tease like that.” She retorted.

“Yeah, I was. It’s no excuse, but I never really knew exactly how sensitive Kurt was about his voice. I’m so used to his voice being amazing and perfect that I totally forget that there is something he thinks is flawed about it. I didn’t mean to hurt him…” he trailed off sadly.

“Oh Blaine, he’ll come around. You know Kurt. He just needs a chance to work off the irritation.”

“What was he doing when you left to come here?”

“Welllll,” she said hesitantly. “He was on his third time singing Rose’s Turn.”

“SH- I mean CRAP. That’s his,”

“angry song,” they both said together.

Blaine hid his face in his hands. “Ugh, what am I going to do?”

Carole pondered the situation. “You know Blaine, I think most of this is going to settle itself with a little bit of time. Sure, in his head, Kurt will want to be mad at you, but his heart won’t be able to stay away from you very long. And it’s the exact same way for you.”

Blaine nodded. “It is. My heart is already hurting, and it’s only been a couple of hours and he’s only just across town. And in the grand scheme of things it’s a minor fight. I think anything more major than this would kill me.”

“I know. I watched Kurt go through it when you were unconscious in the hospital.”

Blaine’s heart dropped. “I’m a horrible boyfriend. I never even thought about how terrifying this must have been for Kurt.” His voice broke. “He’s probably being overprotective and mothering because he was scared to death he’d lose me, and he’s happy that I’m still around to spoil.”

“And because he loves you. Every single thing Kurt does for you is out of love, sweetie. Never, ever forget that.”

Blaine began to cry. “And I did. I forgot just long enough to let hurtful things come out of my mouth. I hurt my angel. How could I be so stupid?”

“You’re only human, Blaine. It happens. You boys will work it out.”

“I know it’s probably best not to call him, but do you think I should text him?”

“Well, I would be very careful with what you say, but I think that might be all right,” said Carole.

Blaine thought for a few moments and tapped out a short message.

**_K – So so sorry for my harsh words. Understand how truly wrong I was. Please come back to me soon, I’ll be the one on my knees ready to grovel. I love you, B_ **

He showed his unsent text to Carole. She read it and smiled softly. “Yeah, you should be okay with that.”

Blaine hit send and closed his phone, not expecting to hear a response any time in the near future. However, not even two minutes after he sent his own message, his phone buzzed on the nightstand where he had set it. He picked up his phone apprehensively, and he took a deep breath before he opened his message.

**_B – you’re an ass, but you’re my ass. Quit showing it so much and we’ll get along fine. Love you too. We’ll talk soon. – K_ **

Again offering his phone to Carole, they both smiled. “Thank goodness,” she said. “I was not looking forward to hearing Rose’s Turn thirty times in a row. Maybe by the time Burt and I get home tonight he’ll be all calmed down.”

Blaine glanced at her questioningly. Carole said, “I was not originally planning on coming to look in on you tonight. Burt and I had dinner plans and then we were going to see a movie.”

Panicking, Blaine said, “Had? Oh Carole, please don’t tell me I screwed up your plans.” He all of a sudden felt horrible again.

“Calm down, honey. I will admit the timing is now a little screwed up, but we’re just going to see a later show time and get something to eat afterward instead of before. It’s okay.”

“Still, I’m so sorry, Carole.”

“Shh, Blaine, you’re forgiven. I’ll have a better time knowing you and Kurt will be okay. Now, I’m just going to get you a little dinner and then I’m going to go meet Burt. Just call anyone if you have any problems before morning.

Carole prepared Blaine’s meal and brought it to his bed on a tray. “Now, eat up and try to get some sleep tonight, okay? I’m sure everything will look brighter in the morning.”

“I hope so. Thanks for coming, Carole. Times like this, I really need a mom, and I’m so glad you are in my life. And Kurt’s. We both need you.”

“It’s my pleasure, sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you, too, Carole.”

**xXxXxXx**

Carole was woken at about 1am by the kind of noises made by someone who is trying not to disturb anyone but is failing miserably at it. Figuring she knew exactly what the noises were and who was making them, she got out of bed and went into the hall, arriving just in time to see Kurt slinking out of his room fully dressed with his shoes in one hand and his keys in the other.

“Crap,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, Carole. I thought I could get out of here without anyone noticing.”

“Next time, don’t try so hard not to wake anyone up. It backfired.” She smiled briefly and went on. “Couldn’t stand to let it wait ‘til morning, huh?”

Kurt sighed and leaned up against the wall. “No, I couldn’t. It’s like I can’t breathe properly when something’s amiss. I tried to sleep, but all I did was toss and turn like I was a rotisserie chicken.”

Carole believed that. Kurt’s hair was quite disheveled, and for him not to check it and fix it, even in the middle of the night, was not like him.

“Hey, come here,” she said with her arms wide open. He stepped into her embrace and she wrapped her arms around him. “Go easy on him, okay? I think he had an epiphany of sorts, and I doubt you’ll have any trouble with him taking you for granted any more. Or at least not any time soon.”

“You think so?” Kurt asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I do. He just needed to realize a few things. You two will work things out in the morning.” Carole kissed him lightly on the forehead. “Be careful and drive safely. Why don’t you bring him back here tomorrow? I bet he could use the change of scenery.”

“I will. Thanks, Carole. It’s really nice to have a mom around. And you’re good for Blaine, too. We both need you around.”

“Funny, Blaine said almost the same thing to me tonight.”

“I will deny saying this, but Blaine is absolutely right.” Both Kurt and Carole giggled quietly.

Kurt kissed Carole on the cheek and said, “Goodnight… Mom.” Then he turned and hurried down the hallway to the stairs.

Carole stood in the hall stunned. He called her MOM. She had assumed she would always be Carole to him because he had already had a mom, and it wasn’t her. But Kurt had honored Carole by sharing his mother’s title with her. She went to bed with tears streaming from her eyes and a smile stretching wide across her face.

**xXxXxXx**

Careful not to let his keys jingle, Kurt slowly unlocked and pushed open the door. He hoped that Blaine was asleep. He crept into Blaine’s room and immediately saw his tossing and turning violently in his sleep. Blaine began to whimper, and Kurt rushed to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He calmed down immediately just from Kurt’s gentle touch. Kurt stripped down to his underwear and slid into bed, trying hard not to wake Blaine, but he was unsuccessful.

“Mmm Kurt, zat you?” he mumbled sleepily.

“Why? Is there someone else who would be getting into bed with you?” Kurt joked.

“Mmm no. Other people icky.”

“Go back to sleep my love. You are still mostly unconscious.”

“Had to wake up. Make sure you’re not a dream.”

“It’s really me. Now shhh and go back to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“K. Love you.”

“Love you too Blaine.”

**xXxXxXx**

“I didn’t dream it. He’s really here,” Kurt heard Blaine whisper to himself.

Kurt smiled, his eyes still shut. “You have reached the body of Kurt Hummel. I’m not mentally here right now, but if you leave a message, I might get back to you when I return with my required daily dosage of caffeine. Beeeeeeep.”

Blaine burst out laughing. “Yep, you’re here. You goof.”

Kurt slowly peeled his eyes open. “Good morning, Blaine.”

“It is now. You’re here. Um, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but to what do I owe this pleasure? I figured I’d probably have at least another day in the dog house before you’d put me out of my misery.”

“I was planning on it, but I couldn’t sleep. My mom used to tell me, never let the sun go down on your anger. And I did. And it was bothering me. So I came here. It looked like you weren’t having any more luck than I was with sleeping. When I got here you were kind of thrashing around in bed and making unhappy noises.”

“My brain kept replaying you walking out last night.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Isn’t that my line?” Blaine asked. He pulled Kurt into his arms and took a deep breath. “Carole and I had a long talk last night. After she literally slapped some sense into me – “

“She WHAT?” Kurt sat up abruptly in bed.

“It was well deserved, Kurt. She smacked me when I told her I mocked your voice. I’m so sorry about that, Kurt. It was mean and uncalled for and not acceptable for me to say, sick or not.”

Kurt nodded. “Okay.”

Blaine noticed he hadn’t said he accepted the apology or forgave him, but he supposed that may take a little time. “I know that you’re naturally a caretaker type anyway, but you have done an absolutely amazing job taking care of me this last week. If I didn’t know you were born to be on Broadway, I’d suggest you go into nursing, but then you’d have to put up with assholes the likes of me and the idea would probably lose its appeal.”

Kurt chuckled. “That and wiping other peoples’ butts. I am so glad you can use the bathroom on your own. I know we like to do everything together, but there are just some things I’m more than happy to leave a mystery.”

Blaine grabbed both of Kurt’s hands and looked deep into his eyes. “Kurt, I am sorry for the way I treated you. I am sorry for acting like a spoiled brat, and I am sorry for not realizing that me being sick in general was hard on you. I took you for granted, and that was not something that a good partner does. You are an amazing person in every way, and not just for having enough restraint to resist kicking my ass into next week. And don’t tell me you didn’t want to.”

“I won’t tell you I didn’t want to, because I did. Let me tell you one thing, Blaine Anderson. You only got away with treating me like dirt because you were sick. If you EVER do it again and you’re not delirious and/or delusional with fever, I promise you I’m getting out my pointiest shoes and kicking your ass so hard you’ll turn inside out.”

Kurt’s tone then became much softer. “You hurt me so much, Blaine. I can put up with a lot of things, but I can’t handle you making fun of my voice. It’s the number one thing I’m most self-conscious about. And to hear you mock me really drove the knife in. I’m sure we’ll fight again in the future, but you need to fight fair.”

Blaine began to apologize again, but Kurt cut him off. “Honey, you’ve apologized. I know how sincere you were, and I’m going to accept your apology and forgive you. Right now though, I need to apologize myself.”

“Why – “ Kurt held a hand up to quiet Blaine’s protest.

“I need to apologize for walking out on you. I heard you calling out to me as I went out the door, but I purposely ignored you. That was wrong of me. And I’m sorry I used harsh words with you.”

“I’m glad you walked out. I needed the figurative slap in the face that your leaving gave me. And of course, I needed the literal slap in the face that Carole gave me, too.”

“I still can’t believe she did that. No, wait. I kind of actually can.”

“She’s fiercely protective of you. “

“I called her Mom last night.”

Blaine was taken aback. “Wow, Kurt, that’s big.”

“I know. I just felt like she deserved something better from me than just her name. She’ll have to share the honor in my heart, but on Earth, she can be my mom.”

“Do you think your mom would have liked Carole?”

“I like to think so. My mom was loving, and kind, and fair, and loved being a mom, and Carole is all of those things, too.”

“Then I think your mom would be totally on board with you calling Carole Mom.”

Kurt smiled just a little bit. “I think she would be, too. And I think she totally would’ve slapped you, too.” He grinned at the thought.

Blaine waited a moment and said, “So, are we okay?”

Kurt nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, we’re okay.”

Blaine reached up and gently caressed Kurt’s cheek. Then he leaned in and he and Kurt shared a soft, sweet kiss.

“Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me and doing such a good job and putting up with my lame ass.”

“You’re welcome. That’s all I ever asked for… well, didn’t ask for, but wanted… from you.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, and then Kurt said excitedly, “Hey, guess what?”

“What’s that, darlin’?” he drawled.

“Carole suggested I bring you to the house today, for a change of scenery and all. I know there isn’t really much more that you can do there that we haven’t already done to death here, but it’s a different set of four walls to look at.”

“I am so in! You guys have a Wii and better food,” Blaine said, already struggling to keep from dancing in his seat.

Kurt placed a hand on Blaine’s shoulder to calm him. “Hey. You’re still recovering, honey. You have to promise me you’re not going to over exert yourself on the Wii. I have no problem telling you no if it makes you too hyper.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “If the thought didn’t kind of disturb me, I’d’ve said ‘Yes DAD’ right there, but instead, I will roll my eyes some more and huff dramatically.”

“You’re a nut. C’mon. Get dressed and we’ll go. We’ll even stop by the grocery store on the way there and buy you some of your favorite cupcakes.”

Blaine put on his biggest pouty face, “But I like the ones YOU make.”

“Do you want them now, or do you want them in like four hours when they’re finally ready to eat?” Kurt sassed, his hand on his hip.

“When we get to the store, I’ll come in with you just in case they’re out of my favorites so I can pick out something else.”

Kurt grinned. “I thought so…”

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt and Blaine were slowly making their way down the empty hallway to the choir room several days later. Although the doctor had wanted Blaine to stay home for a couple more days to rest, he had been cleared to attend Monday’s Glee club rehearsal as long as he didn’t sing and promised to rest the whole time. That was an easy promise to keep as this was his first real venture outside of his house to anywhere but Kurt’s house or the doctor’s office and he was already pretty wiped out even though they had only just arrived.

“You ready for this?”

“Do I need to be ready for something?”

“No, they just missed you.”

“I missed them, too. I will be happy to see them. And to sit down. I’m already kinda tired.”

“Well, let’s get in there, then, and get you settled.”

In true dramatic-Kurt form, he threw open the choir room door and yelled, “Blaine Anderson is back at McKinley!”

The Glee clubbers all shouted, “BLAINE!” like the patrons of Cheers always greeted Norm Peterson. Blaine cracked a huge smile. “Hi guys!”

“You’re here you’re here you’re here you’re here you’re here!” Rachel bounced over to Blaine.

“Down, Rachel!” Kurt scolded. “What did I tell you?”

“Don’t maul the sicko.”

“That’s correct. Now go. Be gone.” Kurt waved his hand as if he was brushing Rachel away. She turned and walked sadly back to her seat.

Brittany approached Blaine and said, “I was going to make you a get well card with a poem, but my cat stole my crayons and ate them. Now he’s pooping neon rainbows.”

The sad thing was, Blaine wasn’t even surprised. You kind of just needed to learn to go with whatever Brittany said. Patronizing her, he said, “Well, you will have to take the money for a new box out of his allowance. Maybe this time you can get a box of those glitter crayons.”

Brittany looked thoughtful. “That’s a good idea. I like glitter. I don’t know if Lord Tubbington gets an allowance, though. I’ve never seen any pockets in his fur to keep money in…”

Blaine and Kurt both shook their heads and smiled. Sometimes there really wasn’t anything you could say in response to things Brittany said, and this was one of those times.

Mr. Schuester walked in the room at that moment. “Blaine, you’re back. Welcome. How are you feeling?”

“I no longer feel like a train ran over me. Now it’s more like a bicycle. Not even a Schwinn, more like a Huffy.”

The whole room laughed. “You must be feeling better. Your sense of humor is still here.”

“I don’t think it ever left. Sometimes humor is the most effective way to cope with a crappy situation. There were just days where I was far too sick and exhausted to use it.”

“Whatever the case, I’m glad that you’re back with us.”

“Thanks, Mr. Schue. I’ll be observing and resting for both the rehearsals this week, but maybe by next week I’ll be able to participate a little again.”

“Good enough. So, first order of business, costumes for Regionals. Kurt?”

“Well, Blaine, while you were out sick, we all poured through catalogs and found what I deemed to be the perfect outfits for Regionals. They’re nothing like our usual scheme where the boys’ main color is the girls’ accent color and vice versa. We are going to stand out for sure this time around!

“Now, I know you’re tired, Blaine, but we need your help. We ordered a sample outfit to make sure that this was the outfit for us before we forked out a bunch of cash on the rest. The smaller sizes are less in demand, therefore cheaper, so we ordered your size first to save a little money in case we didn’t like them. Would you be a good sport and try this on?”

Kurt handed Blaine a black garment bag. Truthfully the last thing Blaine wanted to do was get out of his chair and do anything that required moving, but Kurt’s pretty-please-with-a-cherry-on-top look was beginning to rival Blaine’s puppy dog face, so he found it hard to say no. “You can go try it on in Mr. Schue’s office right over there.”

Blaine took the garment bag and trudged to Mr. Schue’s office. He hung up the bag on the door and began to unzip it. A flash of BRIGHT canary yellow assaulted his eyes almost if someone was flashing a spotlight in his face. He quickly shut the bag and jumped back from it, like it was going to attack him or something. Slowly approaching the bag again, he carefully opened the bag again and peeked inside.

It was still blindingly yellow. Wishing he had had his beloved pink sunglasses on him, he reached inside and pulled out the offensive clothing. It was even worse than he feared. What he had in his hand was a shirt and pants set. They were both haphazardly striped in black and white. The yellow came in the form of a bold scroll pattern that was all over both the top and the pants. It was so loud he could almost hear it, and it hurt his eyes just to look at it.

“Um, Kurt?” he called. “Did you give me the wrong bag?”

“No, that’s the right one, honey. Just put it on, it won’t bite you.”

“That’s what you think,” he grumbled to himself. “I think I see teeth in the pattern somewhere.” He couldn’t imagine what was going through Kurt’s mind when he picked out this fabric.  He cringed when he touched the cheap polyester fabric. It felt scratchy and gross and he did not want to put it on. He was moments away from zipping up the garment bag once and for all and handing it to Kurt, refusing to have anything to do with it. But he decided, no, I’ve already given Kurt enough crap lately. I’m going to try on this outfit, and I am going to act like it is NOT the ugliest thing in the world. Figuratively putting on his big boy Underoos, he dressed in the hideous clothing. He caught sight of himself in a small mirror in Mr. Schue’s office. _Oh God, it looks even worse on._

“Blaine, honey, do you need any help?” Kurt called.

“No, I’m on my way out.”

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to Mr. Schuester’s office and strode out into the choir room. The room was completely pin-drop silent for a full minute as the group took in Blaine’s outfit. Suddenly, almost in unison, everyone burst out laughing. Rachel and Mercedes were laughing so hard they were crying on each other’s shoulders. Most of the boys couldn’t breathe they were laughing so hard, and Artie kept on slapping his leg. Brittany was merely confused; she kept asking why there was a sad bumblebee zebra clown in the choir room.

Blaine’s face crumpled. He knew he was going to hear it when he came out wearing this outfit, but the New Directions’ behavior was borderline cruel, and he was going to have no part of it. “I’m glad you all think my humiliation is so damn funny.” Blaine tried to keep the hurt out of his voice, but it was tough. He spun around and began to hurry back to Mr. Schue’s office to peel off the awful costume. If he could find a match, he was going to torch the stupid thing.

“Blaine, sweetie?” Kurt said softly.

“WHAAAAAT?” Blaine replied, upset that his desired quick exit was being delayed.

“THAT was for treating me like crap while you were sick.”

“It was all a joke?”

Kurt nodded.

Blaine flashed a hurt look at Kurt, and again tried to escape to the office to change. He knew he deserved whatever he got, but this was almost more than he could handle.

“Blaine, please?”

Eyes glistening, he turned around once last time. Every last Glee clubber, including Brad and Mr. Schue, was wearing a pair of Blaine’s signature neon pink socks. He felt his eyes begin to spill over. Because as ridiculous as the socks were (and he knew it, but that was precisely why he chose to wear funky socks – BECAUSE they stood out), he could see that all of his friends wearing them represented their support and love of him. They missed him, and they showed it by wearing something that he was known for, almost like it was a fan t-shirt or something.

“You guys are assholes.” Blaine paused, being careful to paste a royally pissed off hurt look on his face.

Nearly every person in the room flinched. A few sets of eyes widened, and a jaw or two dropped.

“But you’re also the best friends ever.” 


	34. Chapter 34

“Good news, guys. The show choir board has changed the rules for Regionals. Since there’s only a few of us performing in our bracket, we are now allowed to sing up to six songs for the competition,” said Mr. Schuester.

Kurt raised his eyebrows. “May I ask, how in the heck are we going to choose SIX songs? Most of the time we can’t even agree on one.”

“I’ve thought about that. Since you guys are some of the most indecisive people I’ve ever met in my life – “

“HEY!” protested Mercedes. “I object!”

“I stand by my assessment, Mercedes. Anyway, I thought we could vote on a couple of different themes. First is 80s rock ballads.”

Everyone in the room groaned except for Blaine. “Is this just an excuse to force us to sing more Journey, Mr. Schue?” Rachel asked.

“I don’t think there IS a Journey song we haven’t sung yet,” added Tina.

Blaine pouted. “I've always wanted to do one of those big, powerhouse _80s rock_ songs,” he said in a small voice.

Kurt whispered in his ear. “Another time, baby. We HAVE to get Mr. Schuester off this Journey kick.”

“Okay fine, then.” Mr. Schuester shrugged. “Next idea. ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic songs.”

“Are you effin’ KIDDING, Mr. Schuester?” Kurt yelled.

“Oh HELL to the no,” Mercedes said, agreeing with Kurt.

Mr. Schuester laughed heartily. “I was JUST seeing if y’all were paying attention to me.”

“Damn, that could have been kind of fun,” said Puck, a little bummed. “’All the goyim say I’m pretty fly for a rabbi,’” he rapped.

“MOVING ON,” Mr. Schue fought to bring control of the discussion back to him. “Seriously. Oldies. Like 50’s and 60’s popular numbers. The Beatles. The Beach Boys. The Everly Brothers. The Byrds. The Turtles – “

“The WHO?” asked Sam incredulously.

“I suppose we could do The Who. Though they were more mid to late 60s, early 70s. If you can think of one of their songs that could be done by a show choir – “

“No, Mr. Schue. I mean who the heck are some of those people? The TURTLES? Are you trying to tank us on purpose?”

“No, I just think we could stand to break out of our popular music rut. I have one more idea, though. I’m going to guess that with all the flack you’ve given me so far, you’re all either going to fight me on every idea I could come up with, or you might actually truly go for this one.”

“Lay it on us, Mr. Schue,” Sam requested.

“How about the songs from Rent?”

“Thank the LORD, we’ve finally got us a doable idea,” cheered Puck.

“I am SO IN,” said Kurt excitedly. “There are a couple of selections I’ve been just dying to do!”

“And now that we have a possible six song selections, it might not be too hard to narrow things down!” thought Rachel.

“Or it might,” said Mr. Schuester seriously. “Don’t forget that some of those songs are wildly inappropriate for high school choir competitions. As of right now, La Via Boheme, Light My Candle, and Out Tonight are the first songs that are totally out of the question, and I reserve the right to veto any others at a moment’s notice.”

“Well, Seasons of Love is in for sure,” decided Finn. “That one is the ultimate group number.”

“Totally,” agreed Blaine. “And I would love to see us do it like they did in both the film and the stage production – standing along the stage with minimal lighting.”

“Sounds great, Blaine. What others do you want to sing?” asked Mr. Schuester.

“We could always have Brits do Over the Moon!” Santana suggested.

“Um, no, Santana. That’s a fun song, for sure, but it’s not competition appropriate. Let’s stick that on the no list.”

After much discussion – well, actually, it was arguing – they came up with four other pieces: Another Day, Will I?, What You Own, and Finale B to close out their set. They only had five songs, though.

“Mr. Schuester, I want to sing a duet with Blaine.”

“What’d you have in mind, Kurt?”

“I was thinking of I’ll Cover You.”

Mr. Schuester started to speak but hesitated. “Kurt, when I came up with the idea of us performing songs from Rent, I kind of had the feeling you and Blaine might want to sing together. And I figured this would be your choice because it’s one of the two duets for two men in the show. So I sat down and went over the lyrics. Kurt, I know you don’t see anything wrong with the lyrics, but honestly, I think it crosses the line between okay and not okay just a little bit. I am so sorry, but I’m going to have to veto it.”

“But Mr. Schuester – “

“I said no, Kurt. Take a look at the other songs. Maybe you can make something else work.”

With a very unhappy look on his face, Kurt silently packed up his belongings and stalked out of the room. Everyone looked at Blaine. “Well, this is awkward,” he said. He picked up his own coat and bag. “I’m sorry, Mr. Schue, but he’s my ride. I’ve got to go, but I will try to talk to him.”

“Thank you, Blaine. I will hold that sixth song slot open for you guys until Thursday’s rehearsal. If you and Kurt can’t come up with anything suitable, we’ll open the opportunity up to the rest of the group.”

“Sounds fair, Mr. Schue. Thank you. Bye everyone!”

The rest of the New Directions waved and bade him goodbye.

“Kurt, wait up!”

Kurt stopped in his tracks, but otherwise did not acknowledge Blaine in any way.

“Hey,” Blaine protested, “you don’t get to act like this around me. I did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“I know. I’m sorry. It just seems like I can’t win sometimes.”

“You win far more than you lose, baby.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, we got each other out of all this, blah blah blah,” Kurt said facetiously.

“Oh, you,” Blaine grinned as he popped Kurt on the shoulder.

“At the risk of getting my head bitten off, I kind of agree with Mr. Schuester.”

“Stop,” Kurt pouted, a smile threatening to break through, “I don’t want to hear it right now. I want to wallow in my grumpiness.”

“Okay. You’re adorable when you pout, so I’m down with that.”

Kurt continued to scowl as they made their way to Kurt’s Navigator.

“It’ll be okay, Kurt. We’ll think of something. Everyone seems so on board with us singing together again. We are beyond lucky to have the world’s most supportive friends, you know?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Come on, let’s go back to my house and watch something totally mindless for awhile. We don’t have to decide what we’ll tell Mr. Schuester until Thursday. We’ll worry about it later.”

They got into Kurt’s car and sat down. Kurt didn’t put his keys in the ignition right away; he sat back and leaned his head against the headrest. Blaine, deciding to try to snap Kurt out of his funk, grabbed Kurt’s right hand over the center console. “Hey, you want to know something totally awesome?”

Kurt cracked a tiny smile but said nothing as he turned his head to hear what Blaine had to say.

“I’m in love!”

“Is that right?” Kurt asked, playing along. “Anyone I know?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that you would really like him. He’s absolutely gorgeous – he’s got this amazingly soft hair that is always perfect except for this one little wisp that always insists on hanging down, and he’s always trying to blow it back into place, but it never cooperates.”

“I bet he hates it when that happens,” Kurt mumbled. “I know I do.”

Blaine continued, “His body is absolutely smokin’. He hides it all under the latest fashions, which look perfect on him, don’t get me wrong, but he’s got it, he should flaunt it.”

“Sounds to me like he just burns in the sun easily and needs to cover it up.”

“And his eyes mesmerize me. There’s always so much expression in them, and the color is almost beyond description. I think I’ve heard it called glasz. One minute they’re blue, another minute they’re green, next time you look they may be a mixture of both. Sometimes you might even see gray. Lucky for me, those are all my favorite colors.

“How do you even spell that? And it sounds like it would be ridiculously hard to get an outfit to coordinate with that mess.”

“And then there’s his voice. Oh my God, it’s absolutely angelic. I’ve never heard anyone like him – he’s a countertenor, you know, and that’s rare and special - and the best part is, I get to hear it whenever I want because he’s always singing some tune or another.” Blaine continued.

“Some people don’t think being a countertenor is special. Some people just think it makes one sound like a girl.”

“He’s got this attitude on him, too. He’s got a one-liner for every occasion, and he doesn’t seem to have that problem where you just can’t think of anything to say until after the chance to say it has passed. I don’t think he even takes time to think – I think the perfect thing to say is just automatically queued up and ready to go at a moment’s notice. And it’s always so perfect. I wish I had that kind of timing.”

“I don’t know. He kind of sounds like a brat to me.”

“But my favorite part of him is his heart. It’s like Hermoine Granger’s beaded purse. It’s always the same size, but it’s absolutely unreal how much can be stuffed in there. The love for his father, the love for his family, the love for his friends, the love for the guy who is hopelessly and irrevocably in love with him and has somehow managed to win his heart in return (much to his amazement)… it all fits, and it all grows, and it all still fits.”

“This guy’s got to be one ginormous freak of nature. I bet he wonders how in the world someone like you could possibly be in love with someone like m… him.”

“If by freak of nature you mean one incredible anomaly that occurs once in a lifetime, never to be repeated, that the world is blessed to have, then yes, I’d call him a freak of nature. But for some strange reason, he allows me to call him mine. He’s my freak of nature.”

Kurt smiled softly and lovingly at Blaine. “I can’t even begin to express how much I love you. I don’t feel like I say it enough. And thanks for making me feel better. I honestly don’t know why I’m so mad we can’t have that song. But I’ll get over it.”

“You say you love me plenty, but I never tire of hearing it, so you just say it as often as your bigass heart desires, and I’ll do the same, and all will be hunky-dory. And I love you too, baby.”

“I love you more.”

“I love you to infinity and beyond!”

Kurt giggled, “And I love you too, Buzz Lightyear.”

**xXxXxXx**

“I still wish you’d let us sing that song,” grumbled Kurt.

Mr. Schue was firm, “I told you, Kurt. It’s too mature for a high school show choir. Sing it all you want on your own time, but if we don’t want to offend half of Ohio, we can’t do it.”

“Is it too gay, is that it?”

“No Kurt. I have no problem with it being a song sung by two men to each other. The issue is the subject matter. Read the lyrics, really LOOK at what they say, and then tell me that’s okay for high schoolers to sing.”

“Ugh, FINE,” Kurt flopped into his seat.

“If you two would still like to sing a song together, I would encourage that. I’m sure any song you two would sing would be incredible.”

“But Mr. Schuester, the only other song in that show for two guys is already taken by Finn and Puck.”

“Yes, and they’ve got it because it suits their voices better. Those two are rock, you and Blaine are more easy listening. We need to find something that works for you.”

“Mr. Schue, if I may?” Rachel asked.

“Yes Rachel?”

“May I suggest, Without You for Kurt and Blaine?”

Kurt took a sharp breath. “I… I don’t know if I can sing that one,” Kurt whispered. “It reminds me so much of this summer. I might not be able to do it without breaking down.”

“I don’t think I know that song. What is it about?” Blaine wondered.

“Without getting too far into it, basically the main characters have broken up and they’re mourning the loss of each other,” Kurt explained.

“Okay, I can see how that might be hard. We don’t have to do this, sweetie, but I would love to give it a try. I want to sing a song with you at Regionals. It meant so much to me last year.”

“Okay. Puck or Sam, you want to play guitar for us?”

Sam got up and grabbed his guitar. “I’ve got this one.”

“Thanks Sam. Blaine, here’s the sheet music. Just sight read the best you can. Your entrance isn’t for awhile.”

Sam began playing the opening notes while Kurt closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He wasn’t sure he would make it through the whole thing, but he would try.

The whole song was nothing but a list of things about the world that would go on even though the singer no longer had their loved one.As Kurt got farther into the song, Blaine got more and more worried about Kurt’s emotional state. He knew exactly where Kurt was allowing his mind to take him, and it was a rather dark place. _He is going to lose it by the end of the song,_ Blaine thought.

Blaine moved closer to Kurt and took his hand in his own. By that time, it was his turn to join Kurt. As he sang, Blaine could feel the sting of tears in his own eyes. He was truly beginning to understand why this piece was so hard for Kurt. He struggled through the next couple of phrases, but by the end of the song, tears were streaming down both of their faces, and Kurt’s voice broke on the last word.

_Life goes on  
but I'm gone  
'cause I die, _

_without you  
without you  
without you  
without you…_

 

Blaine took one look at Kurt and he knew that he had to get him out of there. Silently, he quickly gathered both of their bags and ushered Kurt out of the choir room.

“Guys, are you okay?” Mr. Schuester called down the hallway from the door.

“Mr. Schue, just leave them be. As long as they’re with each other, they’ll be okay. They’ll take care of each other,” Mercedes said.

Mr. Schuester took one more look at their retreating forms and turned to walk back inside the choir room. He was fond of both the boys and hated to see them so upset, but he had to accept that sometimes there were just things he couldn’t fix.

“Okay Puck, Finn, What You Own, from the top!”

**xXxXxXx**

Blaine gently grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and directed him down the hall to the stairwell. There was a secluded place underneath that was mainly used as a makeout spot during school hours, but once classes were done for the day, it was deserted and an ideal place for Blaine to bring Kurt.

Blaine pressed down on Kurt’s shoulders, and he sat down almost robotically. Kurt had sort of checked out, and Blaine was heartbroken to see him in that state.

“Kurt, baby, it’s okay.” He pressed a kiss on Kurt’s forehead. He especially loved touching the skin on Kurt’s face – with his extensive skincare routine, it was always flawless and silky smooth. “C’mon baby, it’s just me. I’m here.” He kissed Kurt on the tip of the nose. Kurt looked up at Blaine through long eyelashes dotted with tears. Blaine then whisked away those tears with whisper soft kisses. 

Kurt shuddered through a long deep sigh and stretched his arms around Blaine, squeezing him tightly  and getting as close to him as possible. “Blaine,” he breathed.

Blaine smiled and wiped away his own tears. He was surprised to find them still fresh; he didn’t even realize he was still crying himself. “There you are, sweetheart. You scared me – you mentally checked out there for awhile and I wasn’t sure what was going to get you to come out of it.”

“It’s you. I’ll always come back to you.”

Blaine felt his eyes well up with a fresh batch of tears. Willing them away, as he was thoroughly sick of crying that day, he merely said, “Thank you, baby. I’ll always come back to you, too.”

They sat silently for about five minutes. Then Kurt spoke up. “Blaine? Am I always going to cry? I’m so tired of crying.”

Blaine took Kurt’s hand and kissed the back of it before he squeezed it tightly in both of his hands. “Let me ask you something. While I was gone, you essentially grieved for my loss – “

“Don’t say that word. It makes it sound like you were dead,” Kurt growled.

“Don’t repress those memories, Kurt, and don’t be afraid of the word. Call it what it was. It was a loss, no matter how you look at it. They say breakups are like a death, and this situation was almost like a breakup, so there you go. I’m no expert, but I think when I came back, I interrupted your grieving process, and I think that this actually hurt you some. I think you lost out on fully working through your feelings, and you haven’t completely let go of them yet.

“You need to finish grieving, Kurt. I think once you do, it’ll be a lot easier to face memories of that time without completely losing it. Just because we were reunited doesn’t mean this all just disappeared.”

Kurt glared at Blaine. “How is it that you think you know everything? How are you not as affected as I am?” he asked accusingly.

“You think this is easy for me, Kurt? Don’t forget, I was in this, too. But I had Pastor James to talk to. I got a head start on my recovery process. Did you even talk to anyone, or did you just withdraw into yourself like you usually do?”

“Hey! I don…” Kurt stopped mid thought. “Never mind. You’re right.”

Blaine cracked a small grin. “I never get tired of hearing that, because I don’t hear it often.”

“I’m actually surprised that people still talked to me after awhile. I pushed everyone away. Dad, Finn, Rachel, Mercedes, Carole… everyone.”

“They still talked to you because they love you and weren’t willing to give up on you. You are so worth it, Kurt.”

Kurt nodded. “I guess when you think about the five stages of grief, I never moved from the depression stage. Until you came back, I never once sat down and said to myself, ‘you know, you can do this on your own.’ I fully remember rocking back and forth chanting that I COULDN’T do this without you shortly before you came home. Maybe I do need to finish this.

 “And I think we should do the song. Without You is about mourning a loss, and Finale B is kinda like coming to terms with things. It says, ‘I can’t control my destiny, I trust my soul, my only goal is just to be.’ I think those are words I need to live by.”

“You are so strong, Kurt. You are amazing.” Blaine reached his hands up and gently caressed both of Kurt’s cheeks. “I am so proud of you.” He kissed Kurt’s left cheek. “I will always be here for you.” He kissed Kurt’s right cheek. “And I will always, ALWAYS love you.” He kissed Kurt lovingly on the lips.

As soon as Blaine’s lips touched his, Kurt broke into a huge smile. He was beginning to feel the best he had in awhile. And he was looking forward to letting the whole ordeal go completely, once in for all.


	35. Chapter 35

“We’ll do it,” Kurt stated.

Mr. Schuester was surprised, not only to see him back at rehearsal after breaking down, but also to hear that he would do the song. He thought for sure Kurt would decide that he wouldn’t be able to handle it, and he had spent some time looking at the Rent songbook and coming up with other options for their sixth number.

“Th-that’s great, Kurt,” he said incredulously. “Are you sure? Are you going to be able to handle it?”

“I am going to MAKE it happen, Mr. Schuester.” Kurt was vehement. “I need to do this,” he said a little more softly.

Mr. Schuester looked carefully at Kurt. Kurt met his concerned gaze and nodded slightly.

“I need this,” he repeated. “Blaine and I just had a long talk and I think this is going to help me get over some things. I hate to do this on a competition stage, but I assure you, I will do you proud.”

“You do me proud by just existing, Kurt, but I’m sure you will do just fine. Blaine, you’re okay with this as well?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Schue.”

“I just have one request, though, Mr. Schuester. Blaine and I need to rehearse this in private.” Mr. Schue looked like he wanted to interrupt, but Kurt held his hand up. “I promise you there is nothing untoward going on here. It’s just that, while I know I will have to perform it in front of people, I don’t want to push my emotional limits in front of people right now. Will you trust Blaine and me to handle it?”

Mr. Schuester nodded. “I understand. Just make sure you let me know what you need as far as accompaniment and staging and we’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” Kurt went back to his chair next to Blaine and sat down, snuggling into Blaine’s arms as he reached out in comfort and support.

For the rest of rehearsal, they worked on getting the harmonies perfect for Seasons of Love and working on the whole round effect on Will I? The Glee clubbers laughed as they kept screwing up their entrances and losing where they were in the song, but eventually everyone found their way.

After the meeting broke up, Blaine and Kurt walked hand in hand to the car, and Kurt began the drive to drop Blaine off at home.

“Sooooo…” Blaine started.

“Yes dear?” Kurt prompted.

“Valentine’s Day is next weekend.”

“Are you back to liking it again? I know your general opinion of it at the end of the day last year was a giant raspberry.” Kurt smiled as he remembered Blaine’s emphatic “yuck” and the general look of distaste on his face.

“That’s because last year, I was a total idiot. I’d like to think I got my shit together and it could be a happy time again.”

Kurt grinned. “So… I’m your shit that you’ve gotten together?”

“Kurt, you’re putting words in my mouth again.”

“Among other things.”

“Kurt, I’m scandalized!”

“You love it.”

“No argument there. But back to the subject at hand. Can I take you out for Valentine’s Day?”

“Weeeellllll,” Kurt dragged out. “I don’t know. I might have something more important to do. I noticed some pilling on my favorite sweater the other day. I may have to get out my sweater shaver and perform a fuzzballectomy on it before the problem becomes too severe.”

“Kurt…”

“And I think I may have to run my electric toothbrush through the UV sanitizer that night. My oral hygiene is very important to me, you know.”

“Yes, you have a beautiful smile when you actually let us see it, but Kurt?”

“And my Nintendog is just about to have puppies. I should probably keep an eye on that, too…”

“KURT!”

“Yes sweetie?” Kurt asked devilishly.

“You are absolutely INFURIATING sometimes, d’you know that?”

“It’s all part of my charm.”

“So… will you?”

“Will I what?” said Kurt, enjoying the hell out of being difficult.

“AAAARRRRGGHHH!” Blaine screamed. Kurt would have doubled over laughing had he not been driving. As it was, it was a bit of a challenge to contain his mirth enough to drive safely. He decided to put poor Blaine out of his misery.

“Awww babe, you know I’d love to go out with you on Valentine’s Day,” Kurt assured him. “But I get to plan it!”

“Forget it,” said Blaine through his fingers, his face now in his hands. “Invitation withdrawn.”

Kurt ignored him. “I’ll see you at my house at 6:30 on Saturday?”

“YES,” Blaine groaned, letting Kurt get the best of him once again.

Kurt flashed his million dollar smile as he pulled up to Blaine’s door. They shared a short but sweet kiss, and Blaine got out of the car.

“I love you, Blaine,” Kurt said in a sing-song voice.

“I love you too, you little brat,” Blaine mumbled back.

**xXxXxXx**

“Dinner theatre! Kurt, this is AWESOME!” Blaine raved as they pulled up at their destination on Valentine’s Day. “What’s playing?”

“Tonight is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

“Cool!! It’s one of my favorites!” Blaine did a very Kurt-like bounce in his seat. Kurt tried to stifle a laugh at the sight, but he failed.

“What are you laughing at?”

“You. I love how you can always make me smile.”

“I try my best!” Blaine quickly got out of the car and went around to Kurt’s side to open his door for him. Kurt offered his hand to Blaine as he got out and Blaine used it to pull him into his arms. “I hate car rides. They keep me from holding you for far too long.”

“Blaine, we were in the car for MAYBE 10 minutes,” Kurt pointed out.

“Your point? Still too long.”

They entered the theatre and presented their tickets. They were escorted to a small private table near the front slightly off of center.

“Wow, Kurt, this is a great table! This is going to be totally awesome!”

“You are going to LOVE it, sweetie, I just know it!”

A server came to their table. “Hi, my name is Jamie, and I’ll be your server this evening. Can I start you off with something to dr… “ she trailed off as she noticed Kurt and Blaine’s hands intertwined underneath the table. They weren’t being conspicuous, but they weren’t trying to hide anything, either.

“Is something wrong, Jamie?” Blaine asked politely.

Jamie’s face scrunched up, and she said, “No. What do you want?” in a harsh tone.

Kurt and Blaine were a bit taken aback. “I-I’ll have a d-diet coke,” Kurt stuttered, surprised at the 180 degree change in attitude.

Blaine added, “I’ll take a water, thank you.”

The server turned and stomped off toward the kitchen. The kitchen was nearby, so they could hear a raised voice and dishes being slammed on a countertop. Blaine and Kurt looked at each other in confusion, wondering what in the world was going on.

“That’s kind of unprofessional,” Blaine commented. “Gordon Ramsay or Robert Irvine would have a fit if anyone in their kitchens blew their tops like that.”

Kurt smiled. “I knew I shouldn’t have introduced you to cooking shows.”

“You have to admit, both of them are AMAZING chefs, not to mention total BAMFs.”

“BAMFs?”

“Bad-ass motherfuckers,” Blaine said in a whisper so the other patrons couldn’t hear him.

“Oh, um, yeah, I’ve totally noticed that,” Kurt blushed. “I don’t know how Robert Irvine gets his upper arms through the sleeves of his t-shirts.”

“I know, right?” Blaine agreed.

Jamie arrived back at their table. “Here’s your drinks,” she said rudely. Blaine’s water sloshed all over the table and his shirt as she set it down roughly. “Oh, sorry ‘bout that,” she said, not sounding a single bit sorry at all.

Kurt was livid. He had worked hard on making this Valentine’s Day date perfect, and this waitress was ruining everything. Blaine sensed that Kurt’s temper was starting to get the better of him and he quickly said, “It’s okay, it’s just water. It happens to the best of us.”

Kurt took that moment to look up and he saw a flash of fire in her eyes. He knew that this would not be the last of her. “Um, Blaine, honey? I think we should ask for a different server. I’m pretty sure the water incident was on purpose.”

“I bet it was just an accident, Kurt. Let’s give her another chance, okay?”

Shortly before the show began, an emcee came out onto the stage. He explained how the show would work. In order to accommodate a three course meal and not disturb the actors during their performance, they would split the normally two act play into four shorter acts, and they would serve one course during each of those intermissions. Located on their tables were menu cards with their table number written on them; they would choose an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert from the choices printed on the cards.

“Blaine, just so you know, I’m allergic to anchovies, so if you eat the Caesar salad, you won’t be able to come anywhere near me until it wears off. So make your appetizer choice wisely.”

“Oh really? Damn. I love Caesar salad. I guess I’ll just have to eat it when you’re not around. How about the turkey wrapped asparagus – is that safe?”

“Absolutely. Go for it!”

Kurt chose a house salad for himself. For dinner, Kurt decided on the rosemary chicken and Blaine eagerly marked his choice of a sirloin. Kurt was hardly surprised; whenever Blaine had the option, he always went for the red meat choice. For dessert, they were both in agreement: death by chocolate cake. Their server came by for their menu cards, but she didn’t even look at them as she ripped them out of Kurt’s hand, giving him a paper cut as she did so.

“OUCH,” he said, looking at the slice in his palm. “That’s a deep one.”

Blaine frowned. As much as he wanted to believe that the server was just having a bad day, he was beginning to think there was something fishy going on.

“Are you okay, baby?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Luckily I’m right handed and the cards were in my left hand, but dammit, that hurt.”

Blaine took Kurt’s injured hand and lightly kissed the cut. “All better?”

Kurt’s face softened in a small smile. “It is, thank you, love. But I better run to the restroom and clean it with some soap. Who knows what’s on those menu cards.”

Blaine looked at his phone. “Okay, sweetie, but you better hurry. The show starts in about five minutes and I don’t think they’ll let you in once they begin.”

“I’ll be quick,” Kurt assured him, and he kissed Blaine’s curly head as he scurried off to the restroom.

Had Blaine been looking up and not checking his phone, he would have noticed a scowl from a certain dour attitude waitress from a few tables away.

Kurt slid into his seat just in time as the house lights went down and the stage lights came up. They rejoined their hands and settled back to enjoy the show.

 Some time later, the lights came up, and both Blaine and Kurt started talking at once. They laughed at each other’s eagerness, and Blaine gestured at Kurt as if to say, you first.

“I was just going to say that it took just about everything in me NOT to sing along with them!”

“That’s so funny, ‘cause I was thinking the exact same thing,” Blaine gushed. “This is SO GOOD!”

The house lights had been brought up about halfway: not enough to blind the patrons who had been sitting in the dark for awhile, but enough so the servers could do their job of bringing around the appetizer course. Though they were near the front of the theater, Blaine and Kurt appeared to have been served dead last, even though the tables around them had been enjoying their food for at least ten minutes by that time. Their plates had been unceremoniously dumped in front of them, their waitress disappearing quickly. They weren’t even asked if they’d like their beverages refilled.

“Jeez, I hope this girl isn’t expecting any sort of tip at the end of the meal,” Kurt muttered. “This is getting ridiculous.”

Blaine rubbed his hand on the top of Kurt’s, which was sitting on his knee. “It’s okay, baby. The important part is that you planned this amazing night and I love it and I love you. Okay? Nothing else matters.”

Kurt smiled lovingly at Blaine. “Okay. I love you too, you know.”

“I know.”

The lights were brought down, the curtain went back up, and the boys lifted their forks to eat. Just as Kurt was about to put a bite of salad in his mouth, he caught a whiff of something and he stopped abruptly.

“DAMMIT,” he swore under his breath.

“Kurt? What is it?” Blaine whispered.

“She brought me a Caesar. Why do I have the feeling she overheard me telling you of my allergy and brought this thing to me on purpose?”

“I’m starting to think that, too, but there’s nothing we can do about it right now. Here, you can share with me,” Blaine offered. Kurt nodded slightly and pushed the offending salad all the way across the table, being careful not to touch it too much. Since his fork had touched the salad, he and Blaine had to share Blaine’s fork to avoid cross-contamination. Blaine’s asparagus was so good he had wished that he had ordered the same thing.

The second mini-act ended just as Joseph finished singing “Close Every Door.” Kurt had tears in his eyes as the song was very emotional, and the actor who had performed it was incredible. The servers streamed out of the kitchen to quickly bus the tables so they could serve the main course.

Jamie arrived at their table and noticed that Kurt hadn’t eaten the salad. “What’s the matter, _honey,_ ” she said, quite condescendingly. “Wasn’t it good enough for you?”

Fighting to control his inner rage, Kurt merely said, “No. I was served the wrong salad. I am highly allergic to Caesar dressing. Had I eaten it you would have had a medical emergency on your hands. May we have drink refills, please, when you serve the main course?”

“But of course, _Sir_ ,” she said very sarcastically. She whipped out two hand towels and used them to grab their plates in one hand and their glasses in the other. Their eyes followed her back to the kitchen, their jaws almost on the floor.

“I think we’ve just been told we’re contagious and she doesn’t want herself contaminated by our gayness,” Blaine said, FINALLY getting the picture that Kurt had figured out from the start.

“She’s ruining EVERYthing,” Kurt said tearily.

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice shouting from the kitchen. “ – FAGGOTS!... girly one wouldn’t touch his food… too hoity toity to eat a damn SALAD… probably rubbed their AIDS all over their glasses… NOT going back out there!” their server screamed.

“Oh HELL no,” Blaine seethed. “She has gone too fucking far now.” He jumped out of his chair, nearly knocking it over, and stormed toward the back of the theater.

“Blaine?” Kurt called. “Blaine! Stop!”

Blaine grabbed the sleeve of a server who was on his way back to the kitchen. “Excuse me, I need you to send your manager out to the lobby immediately. This cannot wait,” Blaine commanded the young man. He then slammed open the door of the theater and went to wait for the manager and, Kurt hoped, calm down a bit.

Kurt slowly got up from his seat and made his way to the theater doors, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. There was no point in being cautious, though; everyone had already heard what had happened and stared at him as he passed by the seemingly endless rows of tables.

By the time Kurt reached the lobby, the manager had already arrived, and a furious Blaine was already giving him a rather large piece of his mind.

“All my boyfriend wanted to do was give me a wonderful night out, and he was succeeding until this homophobic little witch started dropping her hate all over our table! She INJURED him! And she could have KILLED him by giving him the wrong salad! Has she not heard of anaphylaxis? And why is she even working HERE of all places? Is she not aware that a large amount of men in musical theatre are in fact GAY? Why the HELL would she choose to work where there is a larger population of us?”

“Blaine, honey,” Kurt broke in. “Calm down. You’re going to make yourself hyperventilate.” Blaine had worked himself up so much he was panting to catch his breath.

“Blaine?” the manager asked. “Is he the one…?” Kurt shot him a look and he stopped talking. Kurt merely nodded his head and turned his attention back to Blaine.

“Let’s go back inside, okay? We were enjoying the show up until now. Let’s at least finish watching it, and then we can go home. I’m sure the manager will do everything he can to make sure the rest of our evening goes as it should.”

“Absolutely,” the manager assured them. “After I go fire a waitress, I will be attending to your table for the rest of the evening. I am so sorry, boys.”

Blaine really didn’t want to go back in, but Kurt’s eyes pleaded with him to give it another shot. Blaine nodded and Kurt put his arm around Blaine’s waist. The two walked in silence back to their table and sat down. With only two minutes left ‘til the curtain, they didn’t expect to get their food, and they didn’t really even care about it anymore, but the manager must’ve gone right to the kitchen and collected their meals as soon as they left the lobby because he was right there with the food and fresh drinks.

They picked at their meals as the third mini-act played in front of them, but they had lost their appetites by then. Which was truly a pity as the food was really quite good. They shoved their plates away, and Kurt pulled Blaine’s chair slightly in front of him. He gave Blaine a shoulder rub in hopes of calming him some. The finale at the end was something else, and Kurt didn’t want Blaine to be in a bad mood for it. Blaine sank into Kurt’s touch and Kurt felt the knots in his shoulders loosen slightly. _The poor boy is going to work himself into one helluva tension headache_ , Kurt thought.

As the show broke for its final intermission, Blaine turned and rested his head on Kurt’s shoulder. “Thank you, baby.  You always know what to do to settle me down. But how are you so calm? At first, you were the pissed off one.”

“One of us has to stay somewhat sane at all times,” Kurt said with a slight grin. “Since you took it upon yourself to go kick some butt, it was up to me to be normal this time.”

The manager arrived at their table to clean up their dishes from the last course. He noticed that very little had been eaten. “Was your meal unsatisfactory?” he asked.

Kurt offered the manager a small smile. “It was delicious. We just really weren’t all that hungry anymore, considering.”

The manager nodded. “I totally understand. The… situation… has been dealt with, and you will not experience such appalling service here again. Again, I’m really sorry.”

Kurt waved off the apology. “We get it. Thank you.”

“I’ll be right back with your desserts.”

True to his word, the last course arrived almost immediately. Blaine was still looking a little weary, but Kurt scooped up a bite of the gooey concoction before him and offered it to Blaine.

“Open up, honey. Death by Chocolate cake can cure just about anything,” he claimed.

They fed each other bites of the cake, agreeing that the chocolaty goodness was enough to make them both feel a little better.

The final act of the show began, and Blaine was relieved that this mixture of heaven and hell was soon going to end. He would’ve given nearly anything at that exact moment to just leave, go home, and curl up with his beloved and let the world go on without them. Just before the finale began, though, a curious thing happened. The emcee for the theatre stopped the show and stepped out onto the stage.

“Sorry to interrupt, folks, but we have a special treat for you this evening. One great thing about a local production of a show versus a large touring company or a stint on Broadway is that here, we can do whatever the hell we want with a show. And tonight, we’ve decided that we want to do a bit of audience participation. Earlier this week, our director got a very interesting phone call from a young man with an idea. When he had gone through his spiel, we were very excited to put his idea into motion. So, to perform as Joseph for the finale of our show, we’d like to invite Mr. Blaine Anderson to the stage.”

Blaine’s head whipped around to stare at Kurt with wide eyes. Kurt was grinning proudly at Blaine, urging him to go up to the stage.

“Wha- ? But HOW?”

“Just go, honey, I’ll explain later.”

Very nervously, Blaine cut through the tables and walked up on stage. He hadn’t noticed before, but the audience was applauding and cheering for him.

Someone off stage came out to place Joseph’s headpiece on Blaine’s head and handed him a microphone. The director was standing off to the side and noticed that Blaine was shaking with nerves.

“You’ll be great, kid. I’ve heard you sing, you will do the role justice.”

“How?” Blaine gasped.

“Kurt played me a recording of you and him singing together. You’re both very talented.”

“Can I make a request? I’m actually used to singing with him. Would it be too weird if I asked if he could sing the Narrator for this?”

“Sure, why not?” she agreed. “From what I could tell, he’ll do just as well.”

Blaine caught Kurt’s attention and waved him up to the stage. Kurt joined him and asked, “What’s wrong? You’re not going to bail, are you?”

“No, I’d be an idiot to. But the director has agreed to let you sing the Narrator’s part with me. Will you? Please?”

“You know I’d do just about anything for you, Blaine.”

“I know. Just the fact that we’re here on stage is proof of that, let alone anything else you’ve ever done for me.”

Kurt grinned widely, “It’s just what people who love each other do. Now, break a leg, baby!”

Blaine nodded to the director that they were ready, and the conductor of the orchestra cued the musicians to begin playing.

Blaine began to sing, a little wobbly at first, but grew more confident with each line he sang. When Kurt joined him on the harmonies, he almost forgot he was even on stage and only had eyes for Kurt.

_Give me my colored coat, my amazing colored coat  
Give me my colored coat, my amazing  
Colored  
Coat!_

They sang the last line together and brought their arms up in the air. The audience reacted to them with thunderous applause. Blaine thought to himself that the acoustics in that theater must be amazing because there was no way a crowd of that size could have produced so much sound. Kurt knew that it was because they were impressed as hell with his man and it had very little to do with the sound quality in the theater. They stepped offstage while the main cast ran through their curtain call. At the end, the real Joseph and Narrator grabbed Kurt and Blaine and pulled them to center stage to take their own bows. After a several minute standing ovation, the applause finally began to die down and the audience filed out of the theater.

The director came up to the boys and congratulated them on a job well done.

“So this was a surprise?” she asked.

“It was a total surprise for him,” Kurt said, “and somewhat of a surprise for me. It was my idea to get him up there, but it didn’t occur to me that he would drag me up with him.”

“Color me impressed. If that’s what you guys do with no rehearsal at all, I’d love to see what you two can do with some practice under your belts. Feel free to audition for one of my productions at any time.” She offered them her card and then disappeared backstage.

“That was magical, Kurt. I felt like a star up there. I don’t even know how to thank you,” Blaine said with awe in his voice.

“I don’t want any thanks, sweetie. I just want to know that you enjoyed yourself, and from the flush of your cheeks and the dreamy look in your eyes, I have my answer. You were absolutely phenomenal, Blaine. I don’t know how you fit all that talent in your short little body.”

Blaine stuck out his tongue at Kurt. “Quit dissin’ on the vertically challenged! And hello? I wasn’t the only one up there, you know. We kicked that stage’s ASS tonight! Oh my GOD we sound awesome together!”

“We already knew this.”

“Yeah, but now people who count know this! Do you think we should try out for a show sometime?”

“I think we should go home, chill out, and think about this some other time when we aren’t on an adrenaline high and can think rationally. We’re going to be graduating soon, and then we’ll be preparing to move to New York. Don’t you think we have enough on our plates right now?”

“Still, Kurt, it’s exciting to think about, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, I’d be crazy not to be flattered! Come on, let’s get out of here.”

They moseyed out to the parking lot, swinging their clasped hands between them.

 


	36. Chapter 36

Later that evening, after much discussion, interrupted by Blaine “thanking” Kurt for the evening… several times… the boys decided that with it being their senior year and heading off to New York and all of that, it really wasn’t in the cards for them to audition for roles in the next show at the dinner theater. Blaine was truly disappointed to have to come to that realization, but knowing that he would be spending all his upcoming life milestones with Kurt by his side made it hurt a little less that this would be an opportunity he’d have to pass by.

He really wouldn’t have that much time. Cheerleading Nationals would be coming up very soon, so Coach Sylvester was again monopolizing, and exhausting, his boyfriend. He threw himself into his job at the garage while Kurt was at practice. Blaine had been with Burt at the tire shop long enough where he had earned himself a small raise. More money was nice, of course, but to him, the magic words were not “I’m giving you a raise,” but “I’m proud of you, son.” Blaine beamed brighter than the sun at the compliment from Burt; those five words meant ALMOST as much to him as the three little words spoken to him by Kurt last year.

He had worked late that evening and didn’t make it home until well after the dinner hour. Thankfully, he hadn’t had any homework that day, so his agenda consisted of a quick bite to eat, a scalding hot shower, a phone call to check in with Kurt, and an early bedtime. He opened the door and noticed his bedside lamp was on, which was curious because he only turned that on when he was reading or using his laptop in bed. Upon investigation, he came upon a sight that made his heart do a backflip. Kurt, still clad in his cheerleading uniform, was curled up on his bed fast asleep, clutching tightly to his pillow. When he tried to gently tug the pillow from Kurt’s arms, Kurt mumbled, “No no, Blaine. You’re the little spoon. You have to stay in my arms.” Blaine found that it took all the energy he had left, which admittedly wasn’t much at that point, to stifle a laugh so he wouldn’t startle Kurt awake. He stood for just a moment, staring at Kurt. _God, he’s so beautiful, I almost can’t stand it._

Very carefully, Blaine sat down on the edge of the bed, trying not to jostle Kurt. He lightly brushed Kurt’s face with his fingertips, tracing down his jawline and cupping his chin. Kurt’s eyes fluttered open, but only halfway, in that “I just woke up” squintiness.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Blaine said with a smile.

“Blaine, mmmm, it’s you. What time is it?” he said thickly, the sleep still affecting his voice.

“It’s only about 8:30. I would’ve thought you’d be neck deep in a bubble bath right now.”

As Kurt rubbed his eyes with the knuckles of one hand, he scooted up into a sitting position with the assistance of the other. “It was tempting, I must admit, but I wanted to be here more. Nationals isn’t far away, and Coach is in freakout mode. Moments together with you will be few and far between until the competition is over, so I want to grab them while I can.”

“Just don’t overdo it, Kurt. I’ve seen you beyond exhausted before, and it makes my heart hurt. If something has to give, I don’t mind if it’s me – I will always wait for you, and I’m always here.”

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and laced his fingers through Blaine’s. “I know, honey, but you are more of a need than a desire, which puts you higher up on my priorities list. I WANT to see my family, but I NEED to see you. I WANT to get just a few more minutes of sleep, but I NEED to spend those few extra minutes getting a goodnight hug and kiss from you. You see?”

Kurt took a peek at the clock on Blaine’s nightstand and groaned. “Speaking of goodnight hug and kiss, I have to get them from you now and be on my way home. Hey, hey, now, no puppy dog eyes,” he scolded as Blaine began to pout. “I don’t want to go any more than you want me to. But I need sleep, baby, and I don’t always get a lot of that around here.”

Blaine nodded a little sheepishly, knowing he was the main reason there was little sleep to be had around his place some days. He couldn’t help the fact that his man was so sexy…

Kurt stood up and straightened his uniform. “I made you some dinner. It isn’t much, but I left it in the microwave – just heat it up for a minute and a half and it’ll be all ready to go.”

Blaine stepped up behind Kurt and placed a few soft kisses along Kurt’s neck as he wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist. “Thank you baby,” he mumbled against Kurt’s skin. “You always take such good care of me.”

Kurt spun around in Blaine’s arms. “I love doing it. And I love you.” They shared a long kiss, heavy on the love, but light on the heat; Kurt couldn’t afford to get sidetracked tonight.

“Okay, I’ve really got to go now. I will see you in the morning.”

“Love you, Kurt,” Blaine said meaningfully.

“Love you too, honey,” Kurt replied, blowing a kiss to Blaine as he turned and hurried to the Navigator.

Blaine heaved a deep sigh, as he always did when Kurt left, and turned to see what was in the microwave. He did a fist pump as he peeked inside the door. It was homemade three cheese mac’n’cheese. The ultimate comfort food. Kurt knew him so well.

He set the timer for 1:30 as instructed by Kurt and quick tapped out a text. **_You rock, babe! – B_**

About fifteen minutes later, after Blaine knew Kurt would have arrived home safely, he received a return reply. **_Damn right. Sleep tight and sweet dreams!_**

After his meal and a shower, he crawled into bed, mimicking Kurt’s position from earlier that evening, right down to snuggling up with the extra pillow. It smelled of Kurt, and that combined with his long afternoon at work was enough to send him straight into dreamland with a smile on his face.

**xXxXxXx**

“Do you have everything?” Blaine asked Kurt as he was zipping up his suitcase.

 “I think so,” Kurt replied. “We’ll only be gone four days, and it seems like I’ve stuffed half my room in that bag.”

“I think you forgot to do one thing, though.”

Kurt quickly ticked things off his mental checklist, but he couldn’t think of anything he had left out. “I give. What did I not do?”

“You forgot to leave space in there for a short curly-haired brunette that’s practically attached to you at the hip to stow away.”

“Aww sweetie, I’m going to miss you too. But look at it this way, if you’re attached to me at the hip, YOU are going to have to get hoisted on top of a pyramid as well.”

Blaine’s face scrunched up like he had just sucked on a lemon. “I’ll take a pass on that. I get freaked out standing on a stepladder to change a lightbulb – there’s no WAY I could trust people not to drop me! I’m so proud of you, though. I can’t wait to watch you on TV and release my inner fanboy!”

Kurt grimaced. “Do you guys REALLY insist on watching this on Puck’s big screen? I really don’t need everyone in the Glee club to see me larger than life and sweating buckets.”

“Come on, baby. Everyone just wants to support you. We are one big family. The WEIRDEST family anyone will ever meet, but we’re family. Even some of the Warblers will be there.”

“ _Kill me now…_ ” Kurt grumbled.

“Can’t do that. Love you too much,” Blaine said as he pulled Kurt close. “Now, we should probably go. You’ll need to get to McKinley soon if you’re going to catch the bus to the airport.”

“Yes, because missing it would be such a tragedy,” Kurt snarked.

“Oh hush. You have been working far too hard on this to miss out on it now.” Blaine grabbed Kurt’s suitcase, let out a grunt when he felt exactly how heavy it was, and dragged it out to the car. With some effort, he hoisted it into the trunk. As he wiped a bit of sweat from his triangular brows, Kurt smirked at him.

“You know, you COULD have asked for help.”

“No I couldn’t. Can’t let my man show me up, even if he does have bigger muscles than I do.”

“And don’t you forget it, either.”

They drove as slowly as possible to the school without annoying the other traffic on the road to prolong their time together. As Kurt said, he would only be gone for four days, but that was a really long time in their world. Perhaps it was a little unhealthy, but they had come to rely on the other being within a short distance of each other. Kurt being a plane ride away, even temporarily, made it just a little bit harder for Blaine to breathe easily.

They pulled into the parking lot where the bus was loading, and they both exited the car to get Kurt’s suitcase from the back.

“Keep your phone charged, Kurt, and make sure to call and text me whenever you are able.”

“Yes, _dear,”_ Kurt said, rolling his eyes.

“And don’t forget to take your ibuprofen ahead of time so your joints aren’t too sore afterwards. “

“YES dear,” he repeated.

“And don’t forget that – “

“YES, MOM. I will eat all my vegetables and drink all my milk and get my sleep so I can grow up all big and strong. Okay?” he said, a little bit of annoyance sneaking into his tone.

Blaine grinned and gave Kurt a quick little peck on the nose. “I was just going to say, don’t forget that I love you very much and I’m proud of you and I can’t wait until people all over the country see how talented you are.”

Kurt’s hardened expression immediately softened. “I’m sorry, that was rude.” He curled up to Blaine’s side and wrapped his arms around him. “Thank you for your confidence in me. If we win this, I have a feeling a large part of it will be due to the mega amounts of support you’ve given me. To all the Cheerios, really.”

“No, it’ll be due to the fact that Sue Sylvester is a smart cookie and knew what she was doing when she brought you and Gaga into the act. You are going to smoke your nearest competition.”

Suddenly, the bus’ horn honked, which sent the few girls that were still wandering outside scrambling to board. They knew it wasn’t the driver who had honked, but Coach Sylvester herself, and she didn’t exactly exude patience. Kurt, however, didn’t care. He used the knowledge that Coach needed him to his advantage, and he took the extra few moments he needed to properly say goodbye to his boyfriend.

“I’ll miss you, and I love you. I’ll call you tonight when we get settled into our hotel.”

“I’ll miss you more. And I love you to the moon and back. And you better call me, or I’ll hunt you down,” Blaine replied. Both boys laughed, but Kurt knew that the last like was said only half in jest. Blaine probably really WOULD try to track him down at the hotel if Kurt didn’t contact him right away that evening.

Kurt pulled Blaine close for a sweet, loving goodbye kiss, ignoring the fact that every bus window on their side of the bus was filled with a Cheerio watching them. _Bunch of bloody voyeurs,_ Kurt thought, but luckily, it didn’t faze him at all. However, the sound of a peeved Sue Sylvester on a bullhorn did.

“Triangle Brows, you will unhand my star this instant if you know what’s good for you.  I own a razor and will not hesitate to turn you into Trapezoid Brows if you make us late for our flight. Hand him over, put your hands up in the air where I can see them, and back away from the bus slowly.”

Blaine wasn’t quite sure whether he should laugh or pee himself. Kurt had assured him many times that Sue was all talk when it came to him, but Blaine still wasn’t certain that he wasn’t on the crazy woman’s shit list. So he gave Kurt one more quick peck on the cheek and backed away slowly as directed. Kurt made his way to the bus steps, blew Blaine a kiss with an exaggerated flourish, and disappeared onto the bus. The bus shot out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell, or like a Sue Sylvester out of patience, and quickly drove out of sight.

**xXxXxXx**

“Remind me again why we’re sitting here watching this crap?” Puck whined.

“Dude, hot chicks in short skirts,” Finn replied.

“FINN!” Rachel yelled indignantly.

“Oooohhh yeah. There have been some mighty fine Puckzilla-worthy specimens bouncing across my screen today.”

“You better watch it, Puckerman,” threatened Lauren. “I brought my organ grinder with me today.”

Puck looked at Lauren in horror while the rest were merely confused. “Organ grinder?” asked Blaine. “Dare I ask?”

Lauren held her hand like it was a big claw and twisted her wrist. All of a sudden, all of the boys in the room flinched and crossed their legs (with the exception of Artie, who merely protected the goods as best he could). “Got it!” Blaine squeaked. The rest of the girls laughed and high-fived Lauren.

“How much longer until McKinley is up?” Rachel wondered.

Blaine frowned at the cell phone in his hand. “I honestly don’t know. The last time I heard from Kurt, he hadn’t seen the schedule yet. I’ve been trying to get a hold of him all day, but he hasn’t answered back. I can only assume that the tyrant… I mean Coach Sylvester… has put the kibosh on all phones until they’re done.”

Mercedes was quietly fiddling with her own phone. “I’ve got the National Cheerleading Association website pulled up on my phone, and they have the roster listed. Allowing for the time zone difference, McKinley should be up –“

“Next up, from Lima Ohio, the William McKinley High School Cheerios, coached by Sue Sylvester, led by Quinn Fabray, and featuring Kurt Hummel!”

“ _…now,”_ whispered Blaine. While everyone else in the room cheered and stomped their feet in support of their school, Blaine zoned out. _You can do it, baby. I believe in you. You are going to bring the house DOWN,_ he thought. Mercedes and Rachel sat down on either side of him and grabbed his hands. Blaine offered them both a small, nervous smile before returning his eyes to the TV.

“Relax, Blaine,” Mercedes whispered in his ear. “Kurt’s got this. He’s gonna show every other school out there that they shouldn’t have even bothered showing up.”

On the screen, the Cheerios had all gotten into their opening formation and were frozen in place, waiting for their cue. They were performing the same Lady Gaga song as they had at Homecoming, but right away, Blaine was able to spot little differences. For example, at Homecoming, Kurt was right in front of the squad, waiting for his cue. Tonight, he was nowhere to be seen. Blaine was worried that something had happened to him, but he squashed that thought right away – he figured they wouldn’t announce Kurt as the featured Cheerio if he wasn’t going to be in the routine.

The music started to play and the cheerleaders began to perform perfectly choreographed dance moves to lead off the routine. Right at Kurt’s entrance, the cheerleaders formed a tunnel and through it strode Kurt, singing confidently.

“ _Hooooolllly crap,”_ breathed Blaine. Mercedes squeezed his hand and Rachel squealed. Again, at the line, “I’ve got a reason that you’re who should take me home tonight,” Kurt pointed outward, and Blaine knew that Kurt was pointing to him. His nerves dissipated some and a grin began to stretch across his face.

“You’re right, Mercedes, he’s SO got this.”

Blaine sat, transfixed, for the entire routine. He was no expert on cheerleading, but he stared at the screen intently and couldn’t spot a single bobble or misstep. He WAS an expert in singing, especially his boyfriend’s singing, and he couldn’t detect a hint of a waver, a single sharp or flat note, or any other possible flaw there, either. The entire group was absolutely 100% spot on as far as Blaine could tell.

“They’re going to win,” he said, he THOUGHT it was to himself, but he heard mumbles of agreement coming from everyone else in the room. The Cheerios had this competition in the bag. Sue Sylvester was back in business, and she owed it all to Kurt.

The Cheerios struck their final pose with Kurt being hoisted into the air. They were all exhausted and breathing hard, but everyone had a mile-wide smile on their faces; they knew they had done well. Everyone in Puck’s living room was on their feet clapping and cheering and woo-hoo’ing.  Blaine even went so far as to jump on the sofa.

Puck turned to see Blaine bouncing around like an idiot and rolled his eyes. “Dude.”

Blaine stopped jumping and apologized with a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry guys. I’m just so excited!”

“Ya think?” snarked Lauren.

“When do they announce the winner?” Blaine asked anxiously.

Mercedes consulted the schedule again. “They’ve got a team from Minnesota and a team from Nevada left to perform. Then they’ll take an hour to tabulate the scores, and they should have the awards ceremony by 9pm.”

“That long?” Blaine whined. “It’s only 7:15!”

Finn patted Blaine on the shoulder. “You’ll live, bro. Kurt’s probably feeling the same way.”

Blaine heaved a giant sigh and flopped back on the couch. Mercedes took pity on him. “Hey, I brought the newest karaoke game with me tonight. We can play it on Puck’s Wii while we’re waiting. We can put the competition on the screen in the picture-in-picture just in case stuff happens sooner than the schedule says.”

The Glee clubbers all nodded in agreement and began perusing the song list to choose their selections. Blaine hung back. He honestly didn’t care if he sang or not, but listening to all of his friends try to beat each other’s scores was a welcome distraction, even if it didn’t work 100%.

Rachel, of course, insisted she be first and chose Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. “Of course, I will choose the expert setting,” she said cockily. She was incredibly offended, however, when the game posted her score after her song; she had scored “just” 94% accurate.

“What kind of stupid game is this? And who do they think they are giving that performance only 94%? Were ANY vocal professionals consulted in the creating of this game, or was it just a bunch of tone-deaf computer nerds programming it to score so randomly? UGH,” she complained and left the room in a huff.

Blaine stared after her curiously.

“Have you never witnessed one of her dramatic storm-outs?” asked Tina.

“Nope, I have to say, that’s the first one. They are… oddly entertaining, for some reason.”

“I’m kind of shocked that you’ve never witnessed one from her in the year you and Kurt have been together.”

“JUST BECAUSE I’M NOT IN THE ROOM DOESN’T MEAN I CAN’T HEAR YOU TALKING ABOUT ME!” Rachel yelled from the next room.

“WELL THEN GET THE HELL BACK IN HERE SO YOU CAN HEAR IT FROM THE SOURCE AND NOT STRAIN YOUR EARS FROM EAVESDROPPING,” Puck shouted back.

Rachel stomped back in and threw herself down on the couch next to Blaine.

Mercedes grabbed the microphone. “Me next!” She scrolled down the list and picked Rihanna’s Disturbia. Blaine nodded approvingly – it was a good choice for her.

“So how are you really?” Rachel asked Blaine.

Blaine’s head whipped around in her direction. He didn’t realize she was in any mood to care. He must have made some sort of face because she said, “Oh please, just because I’m cranky with a video game doesn’t mean I don’t notice when a friend is about to lose his lunch.”

“Boy, you’ve got me pretty much pegged. I’m so queasy with nerves waiting for the final standings that I am afraid to lift a single finger for fear I’m going to throw up.”

Rachel reached around and began rubbing Blaine’s back. “C’mon. Mercedes is done. Sing! It always makes you feel better.”

“All right,” Blaine agreed. “But you go ahead and pick something for me, okay?”

“Okay!” Rachel said excitedly. Blaine figured her song choice could go either way – she could either pick something to totally throw him off, or she could be nice and pick something that would unbottle his feelings inside him.

Rachel clicked select on the remote and handed Blaine a mic. “You’re lucky I’m feeling charitable tonight. I WAS going to make you sing Love Story by Taylor Swift, but I think you’ll be happier with this one.”

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief when the intro for Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours came on. This song was challenging, but he was up for it. And the best part of it was, it was NOT Taylor Swift.

Luckily for him, the Warblers had attempted this song two years ago, but it was ditched because it was decided that it, quite frankly, was going to be a pain in the ass to make into an a cappella group number, but not before Blaine had learned all the various doot dah doos and wohs and all that, so he was able to follow the guides on the screen quite easily.

When the song was done, it gave him a 96% rating. _Hmm, not bad,_ Blaine thought.

“How in the HELL! I gave you that song because I thought there was NO WAY you could… oops,” Rachel said as she realized she had outed herself.

“Really, Berry? You’re that pathetic as to try to sabotage your FRIEND on a VIDEO GAME? That’s just low,” scolded Mercedes.

“Well, I’m convinced this game is broken. I don’t know why it scored all of you higher than it scored me. I’m better than all of you.”

“Now see here, Miss Thang – “ Mercedes started, but Tina clapped her hands and shushed the group.

“Guys, it’s starting! Turn off the game and flip back to ESPN!”

Blaine’s stomach, which had settled somewhat during the Glee Wii Diva-Off, threatened to revolt again.  He put his head between his legs and tried to breathe deeply. Mercedes wrapped her arm around him as best she could while he was in that position. He half heard the commentators announce the third and second place teams. He didn’t hear the names of the schools in those places, but he figured neither of them had gone to McKinley since the room was still silent.

Suddenly, Mercedes was gone from the couch and Blaine heard a roar and a high pitched squeal. He felt a hand on his shoulder yanking him out of his crouched position. “BLAINE!! THEY WON!!” Mercedes screamed in his ear.

“T-they did? They won?” Blaine asked disbelievingly.

“They did! Look on the screen!”

Sure enough, **_2012 National High School Cheerleading Champions: William McKinley High School, Lima Ohio_** was written across the screen and there was a gaggle of cheerleaders in red and white bouncing and squealing on the screen.

 _Where’s Kurt?_ he wondered. At that moment, they cut to a different camera where an interviewer was standing with Sue and Kurt. Well, he was really standing with just Sue, but Kurt was lurking in the distance. He could tell Sue was spewing some arrogant nonsense as usual, but what caught his eye was Kurt staring directly into the camera. His lips formed Blaine’s name, and then he pointed to himself, formed a heart with his hands, and then pointed into the camera. Blaine recognized the gesture right away – it was part of their choreography for Silly Love Songs that they sang at last year’s Valentine’s Day singles dinner at Breadstix **.** If a heart could truly melt, Blaine was sure that his heart was doing so right then and there. “I love you too, Kurt,” he said softly, knowing that Kurt couldn’t hear it, but he was certain that he would feel the sentiment anyway.

Kurt quickly disappeared off camera as Sue was still bragging and ranting. The interviewer cut her off and made some sort of excuse, and then the show immediately went to commercial. That truly was the only way to get Sue Sylvester to shut up.

The rest of the New Directions were still jumping around celebrating the win for their school. Rachel was talking about some sort of sparkling grape juice that she had bought to toast with. Puck was ignoring here, boasting about some “real” bubbly that he had managed to procure for the occasion. Blaine managed to sneak out of the room undetected. The room he found himself in, which appeared to be some sort of study, had an overstuffed chair quite similar to “their” chair in Kurt’s living room. He made a beeline toward it and curled up in it with his phone.

There was no message from Kurt, but he hadn’t expected there to be. He had long ago figured out that Sue must’ve had an electronics ban while they were anywhere near the competition field, and Blaine could respect that. It didn’t make it any easier to wait for Kurt to contact him, though.

He tapped out a quick message to his love. **_Sweetie – saw your ILY on TV, thanks, I needed that. Every time I think I can’t possibly love you more, I find that I can, and I do. Can’t wait til you come home to me. ILY more than I can say, Blaine._**

Exhausted from the stress and the anticipation of the day, Blaine assumed the fetal position in the chair and drifted off to sleep. An hour later, his phone buzzed, but he was far too engrossed in his dreams to hear it.

The text from Kurt said, **_B – it meant everything to me to know everyone was cheering us on. Everyone felt the energy of your support, and we were on fire. Thank you for loving me, I couldn’t do it without you. Pardon me for language mixing, but Je t’aime, para siempre._**


	37. Chapter 37

Blaine was pacing back and forth near the baggage carousel for Kurt’s flight. The constant motion was beginning to drive everyone around him nuts, but he couldn’t help it. Blaine was a bundle of energy most of the time anyway, but it was the worst when he was either nervous or impatient. And today, he was most definitely the latter. He hadn’t seen Kurt in FOUR DAYS. And he hadn’t spoken with Kurt much in those four days. Between practices and the day-long competition, Kurt simply did not have the time, opportunity, or energy to do so. They spoke once on the phone after the squad had returned to their hotel for the day and Kurt fell asleep in the middle of a sentence. Blaine knew then that a real conversation probably wasn’t going to happen until Kurt returned.

“Their flight landed twenty minutes ago, where is he?” Blaine grumbled.

“Here we are!” Santana sang. Blaine spun around with a sigh of relief.

“Wait a minute – where’s Kurt?”

For the first time ever, Santana looked and seemed worried. “Um, he’s moving a little slower than the rest of us today. He, Coach Sylvester, and Quinn were at the back of the group, last I saw. Brits and I decided we would be part of the welcoming crew.”

Just then, Blaine caught sight of Sue walking very slowly. Due to his height, Blaine had a hard time seeing over people to find Kurt, but as a group of people collected their luggage and walked away from the baggage claim area, Blaine was able to spot Kurt.

Who was on crutches.

“Oh my GOD! Kurt, what happened?” Blaine yelled as he closed the distance between him and his boyfriend.

“Relax, Blaine. It’s a sprain. Nothing more. I’ll be fine. I AM fine.”

“You’re on crutches, sweetheart, that’s not ‘fine.’”

“Pardon me while I head to the restroom and vomit due to lovey dovey cutesy wutesy overload. I assume you can take over Porcelain-sitting duties now, Triangle Brows?” Sue asked snidely.

“I believe I can handle it. Thanks so much, Coach.”

“Eh, save it for someone who gives a crap,” she snarked as she stalked away to retrieve her own bags.

“Now seriously, baby, what the hell?” Blaine demanded as he gestured towards Kurt’s leg.

Kurt sighed loudly. “It’s NOTHING, Blaine. I told you.”

“Please tell me?” Blaine said a little more softly.

“We were celebrating a little too enthusiastically and they kind of… _dropped me,_ ” Kurt mumbled the last couple of words.

Kurt could see Blaine getting angry. “No, I’m not going to tell you who. It doesn’t matter. I am fine, I only have to be on the crutches for a few days to let this MINOR SPRAIN heal.” He leaned over and ran his fingers through Blaine’s hair. “ _REALLY._ Okay?”

Reluctantly, Blaine agreed. “Okay. But does this mean I get to take care of you until you’re better?”

“I don’t really need any help, Blaine. I can get along just fine by my- “ Kurt watched as Blaine’s face fell. He could tell Blaine interpreted his words as “I don’t need you.” End of story. “Okay. I probably will need someone to carry my books at school. And help carry my lunch.”

“Absolutely!” Blaine agreed happily. Kurt was so glad he had acquiesced – apparently Blaine just needed to feel useful. “Come on, let’s get you home!”

“My home first, though, Blaine. If you want to later, you can take me to your place, but I want to see my family and grab some clean clothes and stuff.”

“That’s fair.”

“But after we get back to your place, I’m sure I will need help getting a shower…” Kurt trailed off suggestively.

Momentarily forgetting that Kurt was on crutches, Blaine grabbed his hand and tried to run to the car. Kurt pitched forward a bit and screeched, “HEY! Blaine, not so fast!”

“Oops, sorry baby! I’m just so happy to have you home.” He stopped dead in his tracks and made sure Kurt had regained his balance.

“It’s okay. I’m happy to see you too.”

Had Blaine known Kurt was injured, he would have circled around to find closer parking rather than just grabbing the first open spot he saw. He tried to get Kurt to allow him to leave him at the curb while he retrieved the car and pick him up there, but Kurt was having none of it. He insisted he wasn’t disabled and refused to let anyone treat him like he was when he was perfectly able to get around as is. Blaine figured this was a battle he just was not going to win, so he fell silent as he led Kurt on the long walk to the car.

“Jeez, Blaine, where’d you leave the car? Siberia?” Kurt groused.

“Hey, I offered – “

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Kurt interrupted rudely. “It’s just… wasn’t there anywhere to park in Ohio?”

Blaine laughed. “It’s a nice day. I needed to burn off some nervous energy. Apparently it didn’t help much since I was still annoying everyone with my Energizer Bunny impression in the baggage claim area, but I figured the long walk to the terminal wouldn’t hurt.”

After a couple more minutes, they finally approached the car. “Oh thank goodness,” Kurt sighed in relief. “My pits are yelling at me.” He leaned his crutches up against the side of the vehicle and swung himself inside. “Would you please take care of my crutches, Blaine?”

“Of course,” Blaine said, already tossing them in the back with Kurt’s bag. He stood outside Kurt’s open car door checking to make sure he had settled in okay. “Do you need anything before we head home?”

“I wish people would stop asking me if I need something. If I do, I will say so!” The bright smile left Blaine’s face, and immediately Kurt regretted snapping at him. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I’m just really tired. The cheerleaders have been doting on me the whole time, especially the ones who dropped me, and I haven’t had a moment to myself, and I’m mentally and physically exhausted, and – “

Blaine cut off Kurt’s rambles with a chaste kiss to the lips. He rubbed Kurt’s thigh reassuringly and said, “Apology accepted, sweetheart.” He closed Kurt’s door and ran around to the driver’s side, where he scrambled in quickly, wanting to get Kurt home as soon as possible.

“Thank you for coming to pick me up. I love the Cheerios, but I’ve had enough togetherness with them for awhile. Santana snores worse than Finn, if you can believe it. Quinn never sleeps, and Brittany cries in her sleep. Last night I heard her begging Lord Tubbington to stop smoking because she couldn’t bear to watch him die of emphysema. Honestly, I have no clue how or where she learned such a big word, or how to use it correctly, even.”

Blaine grinned. “Sounds like you had an interesting experience, even if it wasn’t restful.”

“I am just so glad to be DONE. No more Coach Sylvester, no more throwing girls around, no more recruiters, more time with you, more time for sleep...”

“Wait a minute, recruiters? Kurt…?”

 _CRAP,_ Kurt thought. _I didn’t mean to let that slip._

Kurt sighed. “I’ve gotten visits and phone calls from a few recruiters. There were three or four of them at Nationals.”

“HOLY SHIT, Kurt, that’s amazing! Which schools?”

“It doesn’t really matter which schools. I turned them all down.”

“Kurt, why? Please tell me you turned them down because their offers were insulting or something.”

“Blaine, we have plans. Plans that include each other. If I had accepted any offers, our plans would have no longer included you, and that’s not okay with me.”

“Baby, if you received an amazing opportunity, we could make it work. I could come with you wherever you went. I do NOT want to be the reason you turn down any offers. Please don’t tell me you turned down a full ride somewhere.” Kurt squirmed in his seat, looking very uncomfortable. “YOU DID! Kurt, honey…”

Blaine had just pulled into the driveway at Kurt’s house and parked the car. Kurt took the opportunity to turn Blaine in his seat and grab his hands.

“Okay, Blaine, I’m only going to say this once. I want you to listen to me, and I want you to believe me, and then I want you to let it go, okay?”

Blaine nodded his head reluctantly.

“I turned down these schools because I. DON’T. WANT. THIS. In order to go to those schools, I would have had to agree to be on the squad all year for all four years. It’s a far larger commitment than I would ever consider. I did this for McKinley because I could perform on my own terms. I wrote my own ticket, and I did what I wanted to do. Cheering at the college level does not fit into my personal goals, plans, or dreams in any way. I want Broadway, and I want you. End of story. Got it?”

Blaine was quiet for a moment, letting what Kurt said sink in. “Okay. As long as you made your decision with yourself in mind and not anyone or anything else, I accept and support your decision.”

Kurt smiled. “Thank you for not giving me crap about it. But, just to be safe, we are NOT mentioning this to my dad, okay?”

Blaine held up his hands in surrender. “Oh no, you would NEVER catch me opening up THAT can of worms in front of him. He’s already made it quite clear to me that he doesn’t agree with you forgoing college right now.”

“I know,” Kurt sighed. “I don’t like going against my dad’s wishes, but I’m truly doing what I feel is right for me.”

“It’s okay, Kurt. He may not like it, but I know he trusts you to do what’s right for you, and he respects you for doing so.”

Kurt sighed. “Okay, let’s go in and face the music. I’m sure I’ll get nearly the same reaction from my dad as I did from you. Maybe I’ll just ditch the crutches and walk in without them…”

“No you won’t!” Blaine was quick to quash that idea. “You will use those crutches until you’re healed.”

Kurt gave Blaine a bitchbrow.

“I mean, please don’t prolong your crutches use by pushing yourself before you’re ready, baby.”

Kurt sighed, “That’s better. And you’re right. Let’s get this over with.”

To Kurt’s extreme surprise, Burt wasn’t really fazed by Kurt’s crutches. He said that with the moves Kurt was expected to perform for the Cheerios, he expected to see minor injuries, though he figured they would have happened during a practice or a routine and not a celebration. Burt also knew that Kurt had the world’s most attentive “nurse” in Blaine and that with Blaine doting on him, Kurt would be healed in no time.

“This is very true,” Blaine had agreed with him.

Carefully, he and Kurt journeyed up the stairs to Kurt’s room to exchange his clothes for clean items and to pick up his laptop. He had decided against bringing it with him to Nationals because he knew he wouldn’t have time to use it, but now he had some serious internet time to catch up on. Sure, he could stand to do some homework, too, but catching up on Facebook and Twitter sounded much more interesting at that point in time.

Tossing Kurt’s overnight bag and laptop case over his shoulder, Blaine assisted Kurt down the stairs and set his things by the door. They would have dinner with the family before heading to Blaine’s house for the night.

At dinner, the seating arrangements were shuffled slightly to accommodate Kurt’s propped up foot on the extra chair, but once he was settled (and done griping about not being able to help prepare the meal), they spent almost the entire time listening to Kurt’s many stories about the competition. Brittany kept on asking to visit a “misogynist” for her sore muscles, and Santana kept trying to hit on boy cheerleaders… in front of Brittany.

When dinner was done, Carole gave both boys a hug and a kiss and enlisted Burt’s help in clearing away the dishes so Kurt wouldn’t feel badly about not helping. Kurt and Blaine left for the evening shortly afterward.

Once they arrived at Blaine’s place, Blaine got Kurt set up on the bed. He ran around the house helping Kurt change into pajamas, plugging in his laptop, propping his foot up with an ice pack, and just generally being the perfect boyfriend.

“Blaine, I have a mildly sprained ankle – I’m not an invalid,” Kurt protested.

Blaine held up his hand and shushed Kurt. “Quit interrupting me. I’m very busy showing you how much I love you. Please, let me do this.”

Kurt’s heart melted, as it was prone to do in Blaine’s presence. “Okay,” he whispered. “Thank you. And I love you, too.”

Blaine smiled brightly and leaned over to give Kurt a peck on the lips. He slipped a disc into the DVD player, changed into his own lounge clothes, and scooted up next to Kurt on the bed.

The introduction to Aladdin appeared on the screen, and Kurt exclaimed, “Oooh, I love this movie!”

The boys both sang along to all the songs, and Kurt giggled at Blaine when he imitated the genie. Pretending the bed was the magic carpet, Blaine said, “The exits are here here here here here here EVERYWHERE!” as he pointed frantically in every direction. Their voices blended beautifully when they sang “A Whole New World” together, and they saw the same fireworks that Aladdin and Jasmine did when they kissed.

Blaine quietly turned the TV off, set Kurt’s laptop down by the side of the bed, and returned his attention to his gorgeous boyfriend. They shared soft kisses and gentle touches to “reacquaint” themselves with each other after a long (to them) separation, and after both boys were completely intoxicated by each other, Blaine turned out the light and they wrapped themselves up in each other. Sleep came quickly and easily for both of them, now that they were back in each other’s arms, where they belonged.

**xXxXxXx**

The night before Regionals, Kurt stayed at Blaine’s house so they could head to McKinley together in the morning.  Blaine noticed that as the evening went on, Kurt’s ability to focus on anything became more and more erratic. In Blaine’s opinion, Kurt had passed nervous hours ago and was now bordering on terrified for their performance the next day.

As Kurt shifted again in bed for what felt like the thousandth time in the past twenty minutes, Blaine groaned.

“Kurt, honey, why aren’t you asleep?”

Kurt sighed heavily. “I can’t turn my brain off tonight. And I’m so nervous for tomorrow that the butterflies in my stomach have turned into giant pterodactyls, and they are ANGRY. I’ve been laying here feeling like I will throw up if I even twitch an eyelash. Not that I’ve actually eaten anything today to throw up…”

“Didn’t you eat anything tonight? I swear your plate had less food on it than when we started dinner.”

“I had a bite or two, but I’ve gotten skilled at the art of shifting my food around to make it look like I’ve eaten,” Kurt explained. “It all started after Mom died. Not only did I just not feel like eating, but Dad is a miserable cook. Most times our meals were barely edible, let alone palatable. I took up cooking not too long after that.”

“Well, Kurt, those pterodactyls are probably ravenous, and that’s why they’re mad. You should really eat something.”

“But it’s 2am. It’s too late to eat.”

“It’s not too late to eat if you haven’t put anything in your stomach all day. Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and get you something to eat.” Blaine moved to get out of the bed, but Kurt put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Blaine, I don’t know if I can keep it down.”

“Why is your stomach so tied up in knots baby? You know we got this. We’ve rehearsed it plenty, and we’ve been flawless every time. Your voice is heartbreakingly beautiful on your part.”

“There’s the key word. Heartbreaking. I’m terrified that the feelings I’ve been bottling up are going to explode tomorrow while we sing and I’ll have flashbacks of one of the most heartbreaking times of my life onstage.” He closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to keep tears from flowing. A tear squeezed its way out from between his clenched lid, and he swiped angrily at it. “NO, DAMMIT. I’m not going to cry. I am DONE crying over this. I HATE your father. I want to kill him for doing this to us, Blaine.”

Kurt gasped, realizing what he said. “I’m so sorry,” he tearily apologized. “I hate the man with all my heart and soul, but I have no right to basically wish him dead. Especially not in front of his own flesh and blood.”

“It’s okay, Kurt,” Blaine assured him. “No, really,” he interrupted Kurt when he was about to protest. “I understand where you’re coming from. Yeah, we probably shouldn’t wish him dead. But it’s only natural to think that as a gut reaction when someone’s hurt you or someone you love so badly. You don’t want them to be able to hurt anyone ever again. But I will say this. I don’t think it’s a crime to hope he becomes Satan’s bitch whenever his time does come,” he said with a silly smirk on his face. Kurt barked out a laugh. He supposed Blaine was right. Either way, it was time to let this whole thing go.

“I still feel like utter crap, but I think maybe I can sleep.” Just then, Kurt’s stomach rumbled. Blaine raised an eyebrow. “Honey, I still don’t think I can keep anything down. That’s the sound of my stomach churning from nerves, not growling from hunger.”

“Okay, Kurt. Here, let’s lie down.” He opened his arms in invitation for Kurt to lie down between them. Kurt gingerly laid himself and snuggled up with Blaine. Blaine was just about to drift off to sleep when Kurt suddenly pulled Blaine’s arms away from him and vaulted into the bathroom. Blaine hurried after him and heard retching from behind the closed door. He started open the door, but Kurt heard the doorknob turning and called out weakly, “Don’t come in here. I don’t want you to see me like this.”

Blaine promptly ignored him and stepped into the bathroom. “Nonsense. You take care of the ones you love, and I’m going to do just that. If you had long hair I’d be holding it back for you.”

Kurt managed a small smile. “Thank you,” he said softly.

“You gonna hurl again?”

Kurt took a moment to consider the question. “I don’t think so. I think I just want to try to sleep again. Barfing is exhausting.”

Blaine handed Kurt his toothbrush and a cup of water so he could get rid of his vomit breath, and he stepped out to give Kurt a moment to himself. He busied himself getting a cup of Sprite for Kurt in case he needed it during the night and set it on the nightstand. He heard Kurt turn off the water after rinsing his toothbrush. “Are you okay to get to bed yourself?”

Kurt looked like he wanted to be cranky about all the attention Blaine was giving him, but he refrained; Blaine was only trying to take care of him.

“I’m fine, Blaine. I’m not throwing up because I’m sick.”

“Okay. But can you promise me one thing? Will you wake me if you need anything during the night?”

“You know I won’t, but if telling you I will will make you let us get back to bed, then yes, I will tell you.”

Blaine rolled his eyes, thankful Kurt couldn’t see him. Blaine didn’t believe him any farther than he could throw the Navigator, but he let it slide and again pulled Kurt close to him in the bed, and snuggled up together, they both drifted off to dream land.


	38. Chapter 38

Kurt didn’t wake up during the night. In fact, neither boy woke for the alarm, either. Because they finally fell asleep far later than they were used to, they overslept. They were supposed to get up at 8am and meet the others at McKinley at 10am for the bus ride to Carmel for the competition. A quick look at the clock told Blaine it was now 10:23am.

“SHIT! Shit shit shit. KURT! Baby, get up! We’re late!”

Kurt half sat up in the bed and stretched sleepily. “What the hell are you yelling about, Blaine?” he mumbled.

“Kurt, it’s now 10:25 – we were supposed to be at McKinley 25 minutes ago!”

“Oh CRAP! What do we do?”

“We’re going to have to get ready as fast as we can and then put wings on your car and FLY to Carmel. FUCK!”

“Blaine, I can’t get ready that fast! My hair – “

“Get in the shower, Kurt. Strip, get in there just long enough to run your shampoo and conditioner through your hair. I’ll do the same, and then you can do your hair on the way there while I drive. I can probably get away with letting my hair do its own thing better than you can.”

Kurt nodded and dashed into the bathroom. Apparently Kurt didn’t even bother to allow the water to get warm because Blaine heard him yell, “DAMN that’s cold!” all the way from the main room.

Thankfully Kurt had had their outfits cleaned, pressed, and hanging up as of several days ago, ready to go as soon as they were. In a record-breaking time of three minutes and forty-five seconds, Kurt was out of the bathroom, dripping wet, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The water was still running so Blaine wouldn’t need to step into a cold shower as well. He stood there momentarily stunned at the beauty that was a wet Kurt standing in front of him, but Kurt snapped him out of it quickly, snapping his fingers and yelling, “GET!” at Blaine, gesturing frantically toward the bathroom.

“Oh yeah, right,” he muttered, and he got into the shower quickly. Taking time to wash only his hair and the major “stink zones,” as Finn called them, he got out even faster than Kurt. Kurt was in Blaine’s bedroom, still butt naked, but pulling on a pair of boxer briefs. He slowly exhaled at the sight. “Damn, Kurt, you have GOT to warn a guy. I should’ve stayed in the bathroom ‘til you were all covered up. I have no time for horniness!”

Kurt giggled as he started to put on his shirt. “Sorry, babe. You were so quick I barely had time to dry myself before you were back out here.” Five minutes later, both boys had their costumes on. The entire group was all dressing differently but in the same color scheme. Kurt had on a black shirt and black pants with a white tie, white jacket, and red beret, while Blaine had on an amazing red suit with a white shirt. Everyone else was wearing black, white, and red in some combination, and the effect was visually stunning. They’d be the best dressed group there that day.

Kurt took a look at Blaine’s hair and had to stifle a laugh. “Babe, your hair is sticking out all over the place. Really, I’ll drive and you can see what you can do to tame the curl explosion. I’m wearing a beret – I’ll just make sure not to remove it while we’re in public,” he offered.

Blaine chanced a look in the mirror and discovered that Kurt was right. He really had a mess on his hands. “You’re right. Thank you. Now, phones, wallets, keys, costumes are on, snacks for the drive, hair brushes and products… are we missing anything?”

Kurt silently ticked off a few things on his fingers. “Nope, I think we’ve got it. Thank GOD I gassed up the Navigator yesterday. We’re behind enough already.”

They boys settled into their seats, and Kurt pulled onto the highway toward Carmel. He set the cruise control at a few miles over the speed limit and whipped out a hairbrush, trying to fluff up his hair as much as possible as it air dried. Blaine took a moment to look at his phone and saw texts and missed calls from literally everyone in the Glee club, including Mr. Schuester. He suspected Kurt’s looked the same.

“Man, Kurt, I have no idea how we didn’t hear any messages come in. My phone is flooded with them!”

The texts all basically said, where are you, you better hurry up, we’re going to kill you if you don’t show up, etc. The phone messages were mostly from Rachel. One particular message was equal parts comical and scary. “ _You can’t do this to us. If you’re not here to perform, we’ll still have enough bodies to qualify, but what about the solos? If you guys aren’t here to sing them, the group will look bad, and then I will look bad, and if I look bad, you two are dead meat!”_

Blaine composed a quick group text to assure the others that they were indeed on the way and would, thankfully, make it in time, even if they were going to be late. **_All: Sorry, Kurt not feeling well last night, were up late because of it, overslept. On our way now, will be there in time to compete. – B_**

When the replies started rolling in, most of them were something like, Okay, cool, thanks for letting us know. He immediately deleted the message from Rachel knowing that whatever Rachel Berry had to say while stressing out over a competition could NOT be good, and he didn’t have the kind of energy necessary to deal with that. He also received a concerned text from Finn.

**B – what’s wrong w/Kurt? He sick or sumthin? – F**

**_F – he’s okay. The thought of singing our duet riled up his stomach. Once he threw up he was better. He’ll be able to sing today. – B_ **

**B – thx 4 takin care of my bro. C U soon. – F**

**_F – you never have to thank me for that, because I will always do it. See ya. – B_ **

Once Kurt was certain his hair was as good as it was going to get without hair products and a mirror, he took the car off cruise and slowly let the speedometer inch its way up. They managed to shave a bit of time off the normally three hour drive that way. The competition began at 2pm, and they rolled in at 1:45pm.

They grabbed their belongings and flew out of the car toward the auditorium. Once inside, Kurt breathlessly asked the woman at the check-in table where the New Directions were warming up. It was a practice room that he had used before, so he was able to rush himself and Blaine there without getting lost.

As they entered the room, they were greeted with a chorus of “It’s about time”s and one “Wanky,” courtesy of Santana. Kurt rolled his eyes – Santana and Puck were convinced that any time someone was late, it was due to sex. “Can it, Santana,” he said harshly.

“I take it back. You didn’t get any. You’d be in a better mood,” she snarked back.

Before Kurt could open his mouth again, Mr. Schuester broke in. “I’m glad you boys made it. Lucky for you, and for the rest of us, we’re performing last. You boys stay here and warm up with Brad while we all go and listen to the competition. We’ll save spots for you on the end of a row so you can just sneak in whenever you’re ready.”

“Mr. Schuester, Mercedes and I would like to help Blaine and Kurt finish getting ready. They appear to have left home in a hurry.”

To Mr. Schuester, the boys looked fine, but he agreed to allow Mercedes and Rachel stay behind with them.

“Oh god, is my hair really that bad?” Kurt worried.

“No white boy, relax. I can tell you did it in the car, but it doesn’t look bad. You’re still fabulous,” Mercedes soothed. “We just wanted to make sure everything is okay.”

“Yeah, everything is okay. I had a bit of a rough night, but Blaine took care of me and I’m ready to do this thing today. Well, more accurately, I’m ready to get it over with, but I’m all right.”

“Blaine said you were sick?” asked Rachel from the other side of the room.

“I had a nervous stomach. Yes, I threw up, but I’m not sick. Is that the reason why you’re all the way over there?”

“Oh, yeah,” Rachel said sheepishly. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t contagious before I came closer.”

“So, you’re going to be able to do this?” Mercedes asked.

“Yes,” said Kurt emphatically. “I’m gonna do this, and I’m gonna own it, and then I’m gonna kill it.”

“That’s my boy!” Blaine and Mercedes said together. They high fived each other, and then all four of them came together for a group hug.

“Okay, we’re going to go out and see what we’re up against,” said Rachel. “Going by what I’ve YouTubed, we have no competition here today – all we really need to do is sing and then show up on stage for our ticket to Nationals. This doesn’t mean you can slack off, though, boys! Get warmed up, get your game faces on, and let’s do this!” Rachel turned and bounced out of the room, not even bothering to wait for Mercedes.

“Such a diva,” Mercedes sighed, and followed Rachel to the auditorium.

Kurt and Blaine warmed up and ran through their song with Brad. Brad played the accompaniment so beautifully that they almost wished he would be playing for them, but with Sam playing the sole acoustic guitar, the song would have that lonely, longing feeling that it needed.

Nodding to Brad in thanks, Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand. “I don’t think we can be any more prepared for this than we already are. Come on, let’s go watch the other groups.” He leaned in to kiss Kurt, but Kurt pulled away.

“Wait, what about Brad?” he said, not wanting to engage in PDA in front of an adult.

“What ABOUT Brad? Brad likes us. Brad is happy for us. Brad is…” He looked over his shoulder at the empty piano. “Brad is _gone._ Kiss me, Kurt.”

Kurt grabbed the lapels of Blaine’s red suit coat and pulled him close for a long, lingering kiss. Blaine responded immediately by wrapping his arms low around Kurt’s waist and cupping his ass with his hands. He then sucked Kurt’s lower lip into his mouth and gently bit it, causing Kurt to whimper. Reluctantly, they broke apart.

“Let’s not start something we can’t finish, baby,” Blaine said sadly.

“Well, we can have some celebratory… finishing… tonight,” Kurt replied, and winked exaggeratedly at Blaine.

“ _Oh thank God,_ ” Blaine whispered.

They walked hand in hand to the auditorium and sat down in the aisle seats that had been left for them. Mercedes was in the seat next to the one Kurt chose, and she grabbed his free hand to hold while he kept a firm grip on Blaine’s with his other hand.

Rachel was right. The group on stage was no competition. How dismal did the other groups have to be for this one to have made it to Regionals? Their choreography was good; it was obvious they had a few dancers that could rival Brittany and Mike. But their vocals were only average at best, and the expressions on their faces implied that they would rather be shoveling pig manure than be on that stage. One good thing that Kurt could say was that their outfits were amazing, and he made a note to try to talk to one of the singers after the competition to see if they could tell him where they had purchased them.

There was a fifteen minute intermission while the next show choir set up. This one was a rather large group – an extra set of risers needed to be put out, and the band needed to be pushed almost off-stage to accommodate the extra bodies.

“Holy crap, there must be sixty people up there!” Blaine exclaimed.

“I know. How in the world do they not dance into each other all the time? If you put Finn up in that large group, he’d cause a domino effect,” Kurt said.

“Hey!” called Finn indignantly from the end of the row. “Don’t think I didn’t hear you!”

“It’s true! Who here broke Rachel’s nose with his dancing?”

“Shut up,” Finn grumbled, sitting back in his seat. He sank down in the chair, trying to hide, but all it did was make him look ridiculous. After all, when you’re 6’3”, it’s a little hard to hide.

“Rachel?”

“Yes Blaine?”

“These people look pretty professional, are you sure they’re no competition for us?”

Rachel got up from her seat and got closer to where Kurt and Blaine were sitting. “Okay, here’s the deal. They’re good in a technical sense, but they’re robots. They have no flair in their singing, and their dancing is stiff. It’s like they cloned a whole bunch of people out of one person with no personality whatsoever. Whereas we have a ton of talent AND heart. We don’t need a lot of people to create amazing music. We just do. THAT is why it’s going to be us that go to Nationals.”

Rachel went back to her seat, and Blaine and Kurt were silent for a few moments to let her words digest.

“Wow, that’s the most nice things I’ve heard her say about New Directions as a whole without mentioning herself,” Kurt said in wonderment.

“I hope what she said is true, though. I really want to go to New York.”

At that moment, the lights went down and the next group took their places for their opening number. To their surprise, the group started out with Somebody to Love.

“Hey! That’s our song!” Rachel whisper-yelled, offended that someone dare copy them.

“Shh, Rachel – it doesn’t matter. We’re not singing it today. There’s no reason they can’t sing it,” Mr. Schuester scolded her.

Rachel flopped back in her seat and redirected her eyes to the stage. The New Directions were unhappy about this choir’s song choice for about a minute until they got into the main part of the song, and then they were having a hard time holding back the laughter.

“Haven’t they ever heard of artistry?” Blaine wondered. The choir was spot on perfect with the written music, but they sang it very straight and it was entirely uninteresting. They also tried to copy the New Directions’ choreography, but Kurt said it best when he sang, “ _Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto”_ in Blaine’s ear. Blaine was caught off guard and had a hell of a time disguising his snort as a cough or whatever other noise he could think of that would be more acceptable. Mr. Schuester glared at Blaine, but that did nothing but make it more difficult to rein in his mirth. Finally he staged a fake, though quiet, coughing fit, running out of the auditorium dragging Kurt behind him.

They hurried into an empty rehearsal room where Blaine let all of the laughter flow from him. “Oh my God, Kurt, I’m going to KILL you for doing that!” he managed to choke out between laughs and gasps for air.

Kurt smiled broadly at his adorable boyfriend. “I’d say sorry, but I’m not, really,” he giggled.

“That’s it. No happy fun times for you!” Blaine threatened.

“HA!” Kurt scoffed. “That would kill you even more than it would kill me. You totally wouldn’t make it.”

Blaine considered that. Kurt was right – he would probably give in after about five minutes.

“Fine. But don’t THINK I won’t hide your moisturizer.”

“You wouldn’t DARE.”

“Oh, I SO would!”

The boys stood staring each other down for a few moments. Kurt tried to diffuse the situation. He really didn’t want his moisturizer hidden. That stuff had to be ordered and took a week and a half to arrive. “Truce?” he offered.

“Maaaaayyyyybe,” Blaine said.

“I’m sorry I made you laugh,” Kurt apologized as he wrapped himself around Blaine.

“You are not. You’re only sucking up because you only have the one bottle of moisturizer.”

“Please don’t hide it, Blaine.”

“Okay, I won’t. But only ‘cause I love you so much.  Just watch your back, Hummel,” he said with a smirk.

Taking advantage of the fact that they were alone, they began to engage in a boxer dropping, soul melting kiss, but just as it was getting good, half the members of New Directions barged in to find them.

“Come on guys. No wanky wanky right now – we’ve got to get backstage. The other group only has one number left and then we’re on,” Santana said. She grabbed Blaine and dragged him one direction, and Puck grabbed Kurt and dragged him another. Blaine nearly fell over as Santana moved faster than he ever thought a woman could in heels, and Kurt’s mood dropped into the toilet as he was separated from Blaine. This was not a good time for that to happen.

“Let’s go, Hummel. You can get your mack on later. We gotta go win this shit so we can get out of here.”

Kurt let Puck push him out the door and toward the backstage entrance. Santana must have been booking it because she and Blaine were far out of view. Kurt would kill her if she tried to put the moves on his boyfriend before he found him. He wouldn’t put it past her.

When they arrived backstage, Mr. Schuester clapped his hands together. “Great, you guys are all here. Is everyone ready?”

“YES!” they all called out together.

“Kurt?”

Truthfully, Kurt was getting tired of being asked his mental state, but he decided to just let it go right then. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Okay, then, you all know what to do, right? We’re on just as soon as the announcer – “

**_“Our last group to take the stage, from Lima Ohio, the McKinley High New Directions!”_ **

“- announces us. Good luck, everyone!” Mr. Schue held his hand up and gave everyone a high five as they filed past him onto the stage.

They were performing their selections from Rent as they were performed in the movie, not the stage show. The order was mostly the same, but the movie opened with Seasons of Love, and all of them agreed that that would be the best number for them to start with. They lined up on the edge of the stage in the dark, and a single spotlight on each individual person shone down on them as Brad began the accompaniment on the piano, the spots growing brighter as it came closer to their entrance.

_Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear  
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do you measure, measure a year?_

_In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee  
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife, in  
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,  
How do you measure a year in the life_

_How about love?  
How about love?  
How about love?  
Measure in love  
Seasons of love  
Seasons of love_

Mercedes took a small step forward and began the next verse.

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_

_How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?_

Next it was Artie’s turn, and he rolled up next to Mercedes.

_In truths that she learned  
Or in times that he cried  
In bridges he burned  
Or the way that she died_

The New Directions all joined in and began clapping and moving as they sang the next part and Mercedes provided the counter-melody.

_It's time now to sing out  
Though the story never ends  
Let's celebrate  
Remember a year in the life of friends_

_Remember the love (Oh you’ve got to you’ve got to remember the love)  
Remember the love (You know that love is a gift from up above)  
Remember the love (Share love, give love, spread love)  
Measure in love…_

The next line was all Mercedes’ spectacular wailing high notes.

_Measure, measure your life in love_

The group all mock bowed and waved their arms in a “we’re not worthy” motion as they began their final lines.

_Seasons of love  
Seasons of love (Measure your life, measure your life in love)_

 

As Mercedes’ spot on solo died out, they all grabbed hands and bowed while the audience applauded. The moment the lights went down, they scurried into position for their next number, which was Another Day. It was mostly a duet, so the New Directions, minus Sam and Rachel on leads, stood on the risers in the back with their arms to their sides and their backs turned to the audience. Another Day was kind of an angry song. Rachel and Sam vocally parried through the number, and at last it was time for the others to join in. Sam was alone on one side, while the rest of the group slowly walked down the steps and gathered behind them. They all sang the last line, _No Day But Today_ , in beautiful harmony.  Sam spun and ran offstage, leaving the rest behind him as the song ended.

Next, they got into position to sing Will I? Kurt was leading it. He was standing in the very back on a high riser by himself with a single spotlight on him, the rest of the stage dark. As he finished his heartfelt solo, the first group joined in. Will I? was like a round with four groups of people singing. They divided up into two groups of four and two groups of three, Kurt being part of one of the groups of four as he finished his solo and joined the rest. The groups were spread across the stage, and as each one joined in, a new spotlight would shine on them, the rest staying in the dark as they waited to sing.

_Will I lose my dignity?  
Will someone care?  
Will I wake tomorrow   
From this nightmare?_

Once the final group joined in, they sang the whole thing three times, and then everyone held the last note of the phrase they were on for an amazing chord at the end of the song. It was so simple, but very moving.

Finally it was time for Without You, which was the first true duet of the evening. There were no group vocals, just Blaine and Kurt, and it was totally theirs to make it or break it. Kurt felt as though someone had reached down his throat and had his stomach in a vice grip, but he took a few deep breaths. _Okay, Hummel. You can do this._ Everyone went backstage except for him and Sam, who was going to play acoustic guitar for them. Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hands in both of his own and squeezed tightly, then joined the others behind the curtain. He managed to convey so much through one small gesture. He was telling Kurt, _You are loved. You are amazing. You can do this. I believe in you._ Kurt smiled as he took his place on stage.

Sam was sitting down on the edge of the stage off to the side. He had his guitar in his lap, ready to begin as Kurt gave the signal. He looked back to Kurt, who was standing near the back of the stage in the dark, and Kurt nodded, giving him permission to begin to play.

_Without you  
The ground thaws  
The rain falls  
The grass grows  
  
Without you  
The seeds root  
The flowers bloom  
The children play  
  
The stars gleam  
The poets dream  
The eagles fly  
Without you  
  
The earth turns  
The sun burns  
But I die  
Without you_

 

Kurt had slowly been making his way up to the front of the stage, and he sat down, dangling his legs off the edge.

_Without you  
The breeze warms  
The girl smiles  
The cloud moves  
  
Without you  
The tides change  
The boys run  
The oceans crash  
  
The crowds roar  
The days soar  
The babies cry  
Without you  
  
The moon glows  
The river flows  
But I die  
Without you_

At this point, Blaine had made his entrance. He was at the back of the stage opposite from the side Kurt was on.

_The world revives_

_Colors renew_

 

Together they sang,

_But I know blue  
Only blue  
Lonely blue  
Within me, blue  
Without you_

 

Blaine dropped out, and Kurt continued singing alone.

_Without you  
The hand gropes  
The ear hears  
The pulse beats  
  
_

Blaine took the melody from Kurt.

_  
Without you  
The eyes gaze_   
_The legs walk  
The lungs breathe_

_The mind churns (the mind churns)  
The heart yearns (the heart yearns)_

 

Kurt got up from his spot on the edge of the stage and met Blaine at the middle.

_The tears dry  
Without you  
  
Life goes on  
But I'm gone  
'Cause I die  
  
Without you  
Without you  
Without you  
Without you_

 

Like the stage show, they threw themselves into a hug as they sang the last note. But unlike the actors, for them, the hug was a physical need that could not be denied. Kurt was legitimately crying at this point, and he needed to be in Blaine’s arms. They broke apart, each put an arm around the other’s waist, and they walked offstage together.

As soon as they made it backstage, a sob escaped Kurt.

“Shhh shhh, honey, it’s okay. You did it, you made it! I’m so proud of you,” Blaine soothed as he held Kurt tight.

“I-I’m okay, Blaine. Really. I think I’m just crying from… relief? That it’s over? I actually DO feel better, Blaine. I’m glad I sang this with you.”

“I am too, sweetheart. Though I’ve got to say, you almost made ME cry – your voice is hauntingly beautiful, Kurt. To say you’re talented is an understatement. You truly have a gift.”

“Thank you, Blaine. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“You wouldn’t have HAD to do this if it hadn’t been for me.”

“Shush. Everything in my life, no matter how good or how crappy, has brought us to where we are. And I like where we are, Blaine. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

They shared a short, sweet kiss and then stopped to listen. Puck and Finn had been up after them, and they were singing What You Own.

“From what I can hear, we have about one more minute to calm ourselves before we have to go out and sing the closing number,” Blaine noted.

“Okay. We can do this. I’m ready to go out and tie the pretty ribbon around this performance. We’ve already won it, I’m sure of it, so let’s go balls to the wall and give it all we’ve got!”

“Whose balls are against what wall?” Blaine commented mischievously.

“You’re such a perv, Anderson!”

“You love it, Hummel. And you love me, too.”

“Unfortunately, you are correct.”

They heard the last few notes of the music pound out on stage, and they knew it was time for the final number, which was called Finale B. Finn started them off.

_There is no future_

_There is no past_

_Thank God this moment’s not the last!_

The rest of the Glee club slowly joined in with him, a few voices building onto each new line, until they were all singing. There was a counter-melody in this song, too, where the girls were singing against the boys. Finally, they all joined together to sing the last line, _NO DAY BUT TODAY_ , with a huge crescendo. As the last note on the piano crashed out, they dropped their heads, and a moment later the stage went abruptly dark.

The audience was on their feet applauding wildly; not only had the New Directions totally killed it, but they were the only group who actually seemed to be getting into their performance. The other choirs were there to sing, but the New Directions were there to win, and the difference was extremely noticeable. The lights came up, and they all took a bow and jogged offstage.

Mr. Schuester was there to congratulate everyone on an amazing performance. Not wanting to annoy Kurt by asking him if he was okay, he merely turned and raised an eyebrow when he had caught Kurt’s attention. Kurt smiled and gave him a thumbs up. It was a genuine smile, with teeth even, which was truly rare because Kurt hated to show his teeth for some reason that no one really understood.

Unsurprisingly, the New Directions had indeed clinched first place, and if the rumors and whispered comments that Mr. Schuester had heard while mingling amongst the audience during the judging were true, they had won by a big margin.

Blaine and Kurt had said goodbye to their friends and were heading out toward the parking lot when Finn came up behind them.

“Can I ride home with you guys?” he asked.

Kurt exchanged a questioning look with Blaine, who shrugged. “How come?”

“You guys know how Rachel gets after a competition. Even if we’ve won, all she wants to do is talk about who she thinks screwed up, how flawless she thinks she was, and how we’re going to improve for the next competition. With the next competition being Nationals, she’s going to be insane, and I don’t want to deal with that right now. I won’t get in your way or anything, I can even lay in the back and sleep the whole time if you want me to so you can have some privacy. Just please don’t make me ride with her,” he begged.

Kurt and Blaine laughed. It was kind of ironic that the one person who wanted to bail on Rachel was her boyfriend, but they couldn’t really fault him for it. He was so right about how she would act, and to tell the truth, they were thankful they had missed the bus and had to drive themselves.

“Okay, fine, you can come with us, but here’s the deal. YOU can drive, and WE are going to lay in the back and sleep.”

Finn groaned. “You guys aren’t going to get all touchy feely with each other, are you? Because if you are, I would rather take my chances with Rachel.”

“Finn, we are going to sleep NEXT to each other, we are not going to sleep WITH each other, if you catch my drift. We’re not exhibitionists, especially when it comes to you. So no need to freak out.”

“Thanks man. It’s weird enough when other dudes grope their girlfriends around other people, but you’re my brother. That’s too weird.”

“Just remember, same goes for you and Rachel around me.”

“Yeah, I know, I know.”

Kurt took a minute to get in the back and lower the seats so they had a large space to rest. He grabbed the emergency blanket that Kurt always kept in the back and wrapped it around himself, and then he patted the space next to him, inviting Blaine to join him. Blaine eagerly threw himself into the vehicle and slammed the door. Wordlessly, he pulled Kurt close to him and kissed him gently on the lips. They both whispered I love you to each other and closed their eyes, letting the motion of the vehicle lull them to sleep for the entire ride home.

 


	39. Chapter 39

“Congratulations, kids. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of you all.” Mr. Schuester droned on and on, listing all the compliments he had received after the competition on behalf of the group, and although Blaine knew he should be paying attention, he just couldn’t help letting his mind wander.

A very, very important date in Kurt and Blaine’s history was coming up soon. Their one year anniversary was that Saturday, and Blaine was excited to celebrate it. Kurt hadn’t mentioned anything; Blaine wasn’t sure if he had forgotten, or if he just hadn’t had time to bring it up. Blaine wasn’t worried, though. He chose to see it as an opportunity to surprise Kurt with an amazing evening. After much thought, he had decided to make it a low key evening – as much as they both enjoyed their grand gestures, there was something to be said for simple, elegant, and understated.

A few whispered conversations with Kurt’s stepmother at their Friday evening family meal rounded out  Blaine’s plans, and he was confident that he had an anniversary celebration planned that was worthy of the beautiful soul that was Kurt.

6pm Saturday night rolled around both quickly and at a snail’s pace, in Blaine’s opinion. When it came to getting everything ready in time, time flew far too quickly for Blaine’s comfort. He wasn’t sure he had enough time to make everything perfect. However, when he was finally done, the last few minutes until Kurt was to arrive absolutely dragged. Blaine was anxious to see Kurt’s breathtaking smile when he saw what Blaine had set up.

Finally, Kurt unlocked the door and let himself into Blaine’s house. “Honey, I’m ho – “ He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of what was in front of him. Blaine stood to the side of the dining table, which was set for two and lit by candles, holding two champagne flutes. “Oh Blaine, you remembered!”

“Of course I remembered, Kurt! How in the world could I possibly forget the day I finally got my head out of my ass and admitted my love for the most amazing human being on the planet?”

“Oh, you’re in love with Oprah too, huh?” Kurt said facetiously.

Blaine burst out laughing. “Well, yes, I am, but that’s beside the point! Happy Anniversary, baby. It’s been one helluva year, but it’s been worth every single second!” He handed one glass to Kurt and held up his own. “Salute!”

They clanked their drinks together and took a sip. “Hey, this is real champagne! How did you get it? Please don’t tell me you asked Puck to steal it for you.”

Blaine smiled. “Yeah, I know he would have done it, too, but I wanted to be honest about it, so I asked Carole. When I told her why I wanted it, she was more than happy to help as long as I promised her that once we had any of it, we wouldn’t leave my place. And since I don’t plan on us leaving here tonight, we should be golden.”

“Oh really? And just what do you plan on us doing here all night?” Kurt smirked.

“I don’t really care. We could sit here all night playing kazoos and I’d be happy because we’re here together.”

“I can only think of one thing I’d like to hum on, and it’s not a kazoo,” Kurt said in a very low voice.

Blaine’s jaw dropped. Kurt was snarky as HELL, but the blatant sexual innuendos weren’t usually his thing. Blaine felt himself get aroused just thinking about it.

“Baby, as much as I’d like to learn what makes you hum, I’ve got other plans. I made us dinner!”

Kurt was a little skeptical. “You cooked? Food?”

“No, I cooked squirrel poop. Of COURSE I cooked food, Kurt! I’m hurt by how little confidence you have in my abilities!”

“Well, there WAS the Great Steak Disaster of 2012 just recently…”

“Would you quit bringing that up?” Blaine said, getting totally frustrated. “I learned that I’m not good at grilling. So I didn’t grill anything. I talked to Carole, and she walked through how to make Chicken Parmesan with me.”

“Ooh, her chicken parm is awesome,” Kurt said, salivating just a little.

“I know. She helped me with all the steps, and I did it. I followed all her instructions to a T, and everything looks right and smells right and is the right consistency and isn’t burned or anything. I wasn’t trying nearly as hard then as I was today to get it right. I really wanted to make it perfect for you.”

“Relax baby,” said Kurt as he put his hands on Blaine’s shoulders and squeezed. “I’m sure it’s amazing. Thank you,” he said as he pulled Blaine in for a loving kiss.

“C’mon to the table, Kurt. I’ll serve up.” Blaine tried to get Kurt to sit down, but Kurt immediately hopped back out of the chair. “Here, let me help!”

“No no, Kurt. You do all the work all the time. I want to do it all myself today, to show you how much I appreciate it and you. Please?”

Blaine turned on the puppy dog look. Had he not used the puppy dog look, Kurt would have completely ignored him and joined him in the kitchen anyway, but Blaine pulled out the most powerful trick in his arsenal, and Kurt could do nothing but sit down at the table and wait as he was told.

“Okay, sweetie. I’ll be right here.”

“Cool!” Blaine grinned as he bounced into the kitchen. _Geez, I hope the food stays on the dishes_ , he worried.

Blaine came out of the kitchen, pleased as he could be, with two plated meals. Kurt immediately noticed how aesthetically displeasing the plates were, and then a wave of shame rushed over him. _Jeez, how shallow can you BE, Kurt??,_ he berated himself _. This is being done for YOUR benefit, sit back and enjoy._

He had to admit, even though the meal was hastily slopped on the plate, it looked right and smelled delicious. As Blaine sat the plate down in front of him, Kurt reached up and briefly grabbed the hand that had just served his dish. “Thanks, love. It looks great.”

Blaine beamed and sat down next to Kurt with his own meal. He picked up his water glass and held it out to Kurt. Kurt grabbed his own and raised it. “To us,” Blaine toasted simply.

“To us,” Kurt agreed.

Both boys dug into their meal, and both were surprised at how good it was. Kurt praised him on a job well done and promised to teach him more similar meals in the future, and Blaine nodded excitedly. Their talk at the table consisted mostly of happy highlights from their year together.  Blaine’s favorite memory was Christmas and how Kurt cared enough to track down his belongings and bring them back to him. Kurt decided that every event in their relationship was important, and he didn’t actually have one specific favorite moment. The thing he craved and enjoyed the most was just when they would sit in “their” armchair at Kurt’s house and snuggle together. They didn’t need conversation or music or anything other than each other when they were in that chair. The world disappeared, and Kurt never felt so protected or loved.

They finished their meal and brought all the dishes to the sink. Normally Blaine would just tell Kurt to leave them be and they would get to them later, but he knew Kurt had a “thing” about leaving unwashed dishes in the sink after a meal. So they quickly washed their few dishes and went to Blaine’s sitting area.

“I know our favorite armchair isn’t here, love, but we can still sit here and cuddle for awhile,” Blaine offered.

Kurt’s face broke out into a rare wide grin. “I would love that.”

They piled up some blankets and pillows on the floor and made a makeshift “nest” for them to curl up with each other in. Blaine sat down first and pulled Kurt into his lap. Kurt curled up around him as closely as possible, and for a long time, they just sat and listened to each other breathe. Kurt’s head was on Blaine’s chest; his heartbeat was lulling him into a contented doze.

Blaine couldn’t keep his hands still any longer, so he began to gently caress Kurt’s face and jaw. He moved his lips to lightly kiss Kurt’s neck and nibble on his earlobe. Kurt let out a nearly inaudible moan and tilted his head all the way back so that Blaine had maximum access. Blaine rolled Kurt onto his back and hovered over him, leaning down to kiss him. Kurt reached up and threaded his fingers through Blaine’s hair and pulled his head almost forcefully, meeting his lips frantically. Blaine lost his balance when Kurt yanked on him, and he fell across Kurt. Not breaking the increasingly steamy kiss, Blaine shifted so as much of his body touched as much of Kurt’s as possible, and Kurt instinctively wrapped his legs around Blaine’s hips. A few more moments of heated kissing and the boys had to stop and gasp for air.

“Bedroom?” Blaine panted.

“Bedroom!” Kurt agreed.

Blaine scrambled up and helped Kurt to his feet. Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and dragged him into the bedroom, stumbling and almost falling head first into the wall.

“A little eager, baby?” Blaine teased.

“Don’t even start with me, Blaine.” He gestured with a Vanna White flourish at Blaine’s crotch. “You are in just as much need as I am right now.”

“Mmm, I always need you, Kurt.” Blaine and Kurt made it into the bedroom and Blaine immediately worked on removing Kurt’s shirt. Well, he tried to, anyway. He was shaking with so much desire that the buttons on Kurt’s shirt tripped him up, and the bowtie Kurt had worn with it completely baffled him.

Kurt gently removed Blaine’s hands from his clothing and took over expertly. He let Blaine do the final shirt removal, though.

“God Kurt, every time I see you you are more and more gorgeous. How do you do it?”

“I think it has something to do with how you make me FEEL gorgeous. You give me confidence.”

“I’m gonna have to stop building you up – I don’t think I can take it if you get any more beautiful and sexy and fuckhot than you are right now,” Blaine said as he leaned over and swirled his tongue around one of Kurt’s nipples, taking him completely by surprise and making him squeal.

Kurt pushed Blaine back just far enough to tug his sweater over his head. Once Blaine was as bare chested as he was, he pulled him close again, and they began to grind their lower regions against each other while engaging in another passionate kiss.

“Ungh, Kurt, rest of your clothes off NOW. I’m going INSANE here and I know you’ll kill me if I get come on these pants again.”

“Darn right I will. Do you have any idea how much those pa – Oh God!” Blaine cut Kurt off by grabbing him firmly over the front of his own trousers. His knees nearly buckled with just Blaine’s touch. Blaine walked Kurt backwards and laid him flat on his back in the middle of the bed. He pulled down Kurt’s zipper and carefully worked the tight fabric down Kurt’s legs.

“Fuck, Kurt, how do you get these tight, tight pants on all the time?”

“A shoehorn and lots of lube,” Kurt said facetiously. Blaine was momentarily frozen with his jaw hanging open, the mental picture forming in his head.

“Uh, honey?” Kurt asked.

“Oh, um, yeah Kurt?”

“I was just kidding. I really just end up doing that jeans-fresh-out-of-the-wash shimmy with them. I save the lube for other things.”

“ _You’re not helping,”_ Blaine mumbled under his breath. Returning to the task at hand, he got Kurt’s pants and underwear the rest of the way off and quickly shucked off his own. He crawled carefully up the bed and settled down on his side next to Kurt. He heard a little click noise and saw that Kurt had snapped the lid of a bottle of lube shut after putting some in his hand. He scooted up close to Blaine and took both of their cocks in one hand. Kurt had delicate hands, but his long fingers helped him stroke them both together easily.

“Holy SHIT, Kurt!” Blaine exclaimed as Kurt grasped them firmly. Blaine reached and pulled Kurt to him by the back his head and kissed him needily. It took all of his concentration to kiss Kurt and not explode too soon. Kurt’s soft and talented hand, alternating between strong and gentle, fast and slow, was NOT making it easy for Blaine.

“Feel good, honey?” Kurt mumbled against Blaine’s lips.

“FUCK yeah, Kurt, oh my GOD!” he nearly shouted in response.

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut so tightly it almost hurt. He ground his teeth together. Blaine could see that he was at his limit.

“Kurt, baby, let go. Let go so I can, too. We both need it so bad, babe. Come for me.”

Kurt finally lost the hold he had on his control and came, calling out Blaine’s name as he did so. When Blaine felt the first warm stream of Kurt’s orgasm hit his stomach, he fell over the edge himself. He tipped his head and gently nipped Kurt’s collar bone as he spilled his release all over Kurt’s hand, which caused him to moan loudly in Blaine’s ear.

“Damn that’s so hot,” Blaine panted.

“So good so good so good,” Kurt chanted as he began to come down off his high. His hand came to a stop and they both laid there, exhausted, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Wow,” breathed Kurt.

“Ditto that,” Blaine agreed.

Blaine peeled himself away from Kurt and padded into the bathroom to wash up and grab a wet washcloth to clean Kurt with. As much as he did NOT want to get out of the bed at that moment, he knew that Kurt loathed being messy for too long. Kurt wouldn’t let him snuggle with him until they were clean, so he knew it was to his advantage to get it taken care of as soon as possible.

Blaine lovingly washed Kurt’s skin with the washcloth and then tossed it to the floor. He couldn’t stand to be away from Kurt long enough to properly dispose of it at the current time. Kurt was lying on his back, so Blaine laid down next to him on his stomach, but with his arm and leg draped over Kurt’s body and heads almost touching.

“I love you so much, Kurt,” he declared softly.

“I love you too, Blaine. Forever. You are the only one for me. Which is why…” he trailed off and seemed to be carefully weighing his words. He took a deep breath and said, “Blaine, will you please make love to me?”

Blaine gasped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to get words to come out, but he had a hard time getting his mouth to form the words. He knew he had to say something, though, because Kurt’s face was falling by the moment.

“Baby, a-are you s-sure?” he choked out in a whisper.

“Blaine, it’s always been you. The moment I saw you, I always knew you’d be my first, last, and only for everything that ever counted. I want to share all of myself with you, and I really hope you want to share all of yourself with me, too.”

Blaine melted at the heartfelt words. “I do, Kurt, I really do.” He leaned down and kissed Kurt with every bit of love and emotion he could pour in one small gesture.

“So,” he said nervously. “How do you want to do this? Do you want me to…? Or do you want to… you know…?”

“Blaine, I want _you_ to make love to _me._ ”

Kurt noticed that Blaine had a worried look on his face. “Talk to me, honey,” he said.

Blaine sighed. “I want to be with you, Kurt. I’m just terrified that I’ll hurt you or that it won’t be good for you or that we’ll find I’m really bad at sex.”

“Since when have you ever been bad at anything?”

“I’m bad at romance, and I suck at cooking.”

“You WERE bad at romance, and you DID suck at cooking, but you’ve been learning. If you’re bad at this, you can learn. So can I. We can learn together. But I have a feeling we’ll be just fine.”

“Okay,” Blaine said, smiling at Kurt. Gently lowering himself down on top of Kurt, they began to kiss and touch and caress each other back into arousal. When Kurt’s erection began to jab Blaine in the hip almost painfully, he knew it was time to get down to business.

He reached behind him to grab the bottle of lube off the nightstand and coated his fingers with it. Kurt parted his legs to give Blaine better access. Not taking his eyes off of Kurt, Blaine reached up and slowly circled Kurt’s opening with a single finger. Kurt whimpered and shuddered in anticipation. He slid a finger into Kurt and began working it in and out of him.

They had both done this to each other several times before, but never with the intention of completing the act and making love. Blaine felt a lot of pressure to do it right so he wouldn’t hurt Kurt. Kurt seemed to sense that and mouthed “I love you” to Blaine. Blaine felt enough confidence to ease another finger in, and Kurt moaned in pleasure. After Blaine had gotten the third finger in, Kurt was writhing underneath him.

“Please, Blaine… I’m ready. I need you now. Please…”

“Okay, baby.” He reached over and grabbed a condom out of the nightstand drawer. He handed it to Kurt. “Put it on me,” he said in a husky voice.

Kurt hesitantly took the condom. All of a sudden, things got real. This was really going to happen. He pushed his nerves back and tore open the wrapper. _You’re not scared Kurt, you’re just nervous. If you were scared, this would be wrong, but everyone’s nervous their first time. Totally normal,_ he said to himself, psyching himself up. He took the condom and rolled it onto Blaine. Blaine’s erection twitched and pulsed in his hand. He knew that despite his apprehension, Blaine was just as ready for this as he was.

Kurt took the bottle of lube and poured some into the palm of his hand. He stroked Blaine firmly a few times to make sure he was good and ready for him. Blaine reached out and stilled Kurt’s hand. “You need to stop that, baby. We won’t be able to do this tonight if you keep that up.”

Kurt blushed. “Okay,” he said shyly. “I’m ready.”

Blaine nodded once. “I am too. Um…” He sat on his heels, wondering exactly how they should do this so Kurt would be most comfortable.

Sensing the reason for his hesitation, Kurt said, “I want you to be on top, Blaine, and I want you to hold me tight as you… take me.” He gulped. “I need to feel like your love is surrounding me.”

“It always is, Kurt. No matter what we do, it will always be there.”

Blaine pushed Kurt back on the pillows and covered Kurt’s body with his own. He laid between Kurt’s legs and slowly brought his tip to Kurt’s entrance. Kurt drew in a sharp breath as he felt Blaine there. Blaine looked right into Kurt’s eyes in a silent question, and Kurt nodded very slightly.

Gaining the final permission he sought, Blaine began to push his way inside Kurt. When he breached the tight ring of muscle at his opening, Kurt hissed in pain.

“Oh God, it hurts it hurts it hurts,” he whimpered.

Blaine immediately stopped moving. “I know sweetheart, I know. Everything I’ve read has said the first time hurts like a bitch, but there’s no other cure for it than to try to get used to it. We can stop, Kurt. You just say the word and we’ll stop. I hate that you’re hurting and I’m the one causing it. I love you, Kurt. Tell me what to do.”

Kurt’s eyes were squeezed tight, but tears of pain still managed to sneak their way out. “I want to tell you to stop, Blaine, but I want to tell you to keep going, too,” he whispered. “I don’t want to hurt like this every time we get together. I need to get used to it. Just… go REALLY slow, okay?”

Internally, Blaine breathed a sigh of relief. He would do absolutely anything for Kurt, but being inside him felt absolutely amazing and he didn’t want to end this so soon. He again began to push in further, millimeter by millimeter, until he was buried as far as he could go. “That’s it, Kurt, I’m all in. Are you okay?

“I think so. It burns, and I feel so full. The pain is starting to subside a bit, but don’t move yet, okay?

Blaine laid his body against Kurt’s and began to kiss and nip at all the skin he could reach without moving too much. He was trying not to move anything below the waist until Kurt gave the go ahead. However, the attention Kurt was getting from Blaine’s mouth was starting to heat Kurt back up to boiling. He let out an incredibly erotic moan and that was enough for Blaine’s cock to twitch almost violently inside him.

Kurt gasped. The feeling of Blaine moving just the slightest bit inside him was enough to override any pain he had leftover from Blaine entering him.

“Honey, you’ve gotta move now, I need you to move,” he said, sounding somewhat desperate.

Blaine didn’t need to be told twice and gently began thrusting in short shallow strokes. He gradually increased the speed and depth until he was nearly pulling out on every stroke. Kurt, in the meantime, started feeling really good, which in turn caused him to push back with his hips and meet Blaine in the middle of each stroke.

“Kurt, I’m almost there, are you?”

“Just a little bit more, Blaine, I’m _so_ close…”

Blaine then remembered something he read about the prostate. If he switched his angle just a bit and thrust up, maybe he could find it.

“Ahhhh!!” Kurt cried out. He was done for. His orgasm hit like a freight train and before he knew it he was spilling himself all over his and Blaine’s stomachs.

Blaine was on sensation overload. Between Kurt’s ass clenching his cock and the warmth spreading across his belly, he couldn’t hold back and shot deep inside of Kurt. He collapsed on top of him, panting.

“Hot damn, Kurt. We need to do that again, and again, and again.”

“God, Blaine, what did you do to me? One second I wasn’t quite there, and the next, BAM – I came all over both of us without even knowing, it came on so fast.”

“Kurt, meet your prostate. I remembered something I read about it being something very fun to play with. Remember that for next time ‘cause if it made you feel that good, I want to know how it feels, too.”

“Wow. Whatever it was, it made me totally forget how much my ass was burning.” He shifted his position a bit and winced. “Well, I forgot ‘til now, anyway. Pull out gently, please.”

Blaine grabbed hold of the condom and slowly but steadily pulled out. He kept his eyes on Kurt’s face to try to judge what kind of pain he might be in, but other than a slight wince, he seemed to be doing okay.

He wrapped up the condom in some wadded up tissues so the garbage can wouldn’t get gross and got a fresh washcloth from the bathroom, disposing of the previous one on the way there so Kurt wouldn’t freak. He took it to the bed and gingerly started to clean Kurt with it.

Kurt looked up to him with adoration in his eyes. “You take such good care of me, Blaine.”

“Everything I do is out of love, Kurt. I am so in love with you.”

“It almost doesn’t ever seem like it’s enough to say, but I love you too.”

“It’s more than enough, Kurt. You letting me love you, and loving me in return, is everything I’ve ever wanted. Everything else is just icing on the cake.”

Blaine finished cleaning them both and returned the washcloth to the bathroom. In the short time he was gone, Kurt had rolled over onto his stomach with his arms underneath him propping himself up a bit. Blaine gently draped himself across Kurt, wrapped his arms around him, and rested his chin on Kurt’s shoulder. Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hands and laced their fingers together.

“How are you really, sweetheart?”

“I’m a little uncomfortable, and I will probably be walking funny tomorrow, which is going to be real fun around my dad, but honestly? It was wonderful. I loved connecting to you in the most physically intimate way possible, and I love having yet another way to show you I love you. And it felt fucking awesome too… just sayin’.”

Blaine cracked up. “It MUST have been good if you’re using the word fuck. Wish I could get you to say it more often.”

Kurt, feeling a bit evil, channeled his best Eric Cartman voice and said, “Fuck, fuckity fuck fuck fuck.”

Blaine did a dry spit take. “Oh my God, Kurt, did you say what I thought you just said?”

“What? Just because I choose not to swear doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s funny. That whole skit cracks me up. When Cartman gets on the bullhorn and says ‘How would you like to suck mah balls,’ I laugh ‘til I nearly pee myself.”

Blaine couldn’t rein in his laughter after that. He laughed so hard he was snorting, then he looked up at Kurt’s face and saw the playful smirk on it and he nearly fell off the bed onto the floor. It took him a long time to calm down where he could actually speak, but he managed to stop laughing long enough to say, “I love you, Kurt.”

“I fucking love you too, Blaine.”

 


	40. Chapter 40

The bright sunshine streaming in from Blaine’s bedroom window woke him up; he felt the warmth on his face long before he opened his eyes to greet the day. He attempted to roll over and stretch, but he was blocked by Kurt’s long, lithe body behind him. As he felt Blaine’s movement, Kurt reached over Blaine’s chest and drew him toward him in his sleep. “Too far ‘way,” he mumbled sleepily.

“Let go, babe – gotta go to the bathroom,” Blaine whispered, and Kurt groaned, pressing a kiss between Blaine’s shoulder blades and giving him a tight squeeze before reluctantly releasing him from his grip.

Blaine shuffled toward the bathroom carefully, giving his legs a chance to wake up. Kurt, losing his main source of warmth and cuddles, began to come out of his sleepy haze. A flood of memories from the night before rushed through his head. _Oh my God,_ he thought. _Blaine and I slept together last night. Like, REALLY slept together!_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts. _No no, “slept together” has somewhat of a negative connotation. We made love. And it was AMAZING…_

Laying there thinking for a few minutes, he was happy to come to the conclusion that he had not one single regret about giving Blaine his virginity. It wasn’t rushed, it was done out of love, it was with the right person… what more could he ask for?

Blaine walked out of the bathroom and smiled as soon as he caught sight of Kurt. The smile triggered Kurt’s own, and Blaine said softy, “Hi…”

“Hi,” Kurt said breathily. He pulled the blanket back so Blaine could rejoin him, and Blaine eagerly accepted the invitation, quickly sliding beneath the covers.

“How are you this morning?” Blaine asked.

“I couldn’t be better,” Kurt said sincerely.

Blaine crawled up close to Kurt and laid his head on his chest. “Me too. I… umm… I’ve wanted to make love with you for so long now, but I’m so glad we waited. And I’m so glad we stopped waiting last night. You have impeccable timing, my love, because it felt so incredibly right.”

“I have impeccable everything, Blaine,” Kurt said facetiously.

Blaine chuckled. “Well, I won’t deny you that.”

They laid in bed for a few more minutes, just enjoying each other’s company. Kurt was running his fingers through Blaine’s hair, and Blaine was dancing his fingers over Kurt’s chest while singing a nonsensical tune. Kurt had no idea what Blaine was singing about, but he burst out laughing when Blaine sang the word Nantucket. Blaine joined him in laughter and said that he just wanted to make sure Kurt was paying attention.

“So… aside from some homework that can be done later, what do you want to do today?” Blaine asked.

“I’m getting kind of hungry, and I don’t feel like cooking. You want to go out and get something?”

“Sure! Hey, just the other day I was thinking of this place near Dalton that the guys and I went to a lot sophomore year. We hardly ever went junior year because things just got so crazy, so I’m kind of missing it. This would be a good time to go! You wanna call some of the guys and see if they want to join us?”

“Um, no…” Kurt said slowly. “Nothing against our friends, but I think I’d just like to not share you for a little while longer. If anyone we know is there when we get there, of course we’ll say hi and be social, but until that happens, let’s be just us two for a little while longer, okay?”

“Okay, that sounds good. I can’t say I don’t agree with the sentiment. Shall we get ready to go?”

“Yeah, I totally need a shower. I went to sleep all sweaty and sticky last night.”

Blaine snorted and covered his mouth, holding back an incredibly sarcastic comment.

Kurt shook his head with a grin. “Go ahead. You know you want to.”

“I’m only holding back because I totally can’t choose which of the multitude of crude remarks running through my head right now to say!”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Kurt shook his head and swung his legs out of bed. He stood up and called out, “Holy crap I’m sore! What did you do to me? Look at me, I’m totally walking funny! I’m not going to be able to go home tonight – my dad is definitely going to figure out that we had sex!”

Blaine smiled. “Okay, calm down.  Who cares what your dad thinks? Any problem he has with us being intimate with each other is his own problem. We’re in love and we’ve been together for a long time and we were ready to take the next step. His objections as a parent are no longer valid.”

Kurt acquiesced, “You’re right, you’re right. It’s just going to embarrass us both when he does figure it out.”

“You’ll live. You both will. There’s a lot of embarrassing things about growing up. Just add this to the list. Come on. Shower time, yes?”

Kurt smiled and reached his hand out to Blaine. “Yes. But no funny business, mister!”

“Oh there will be nothing funny about it. You, naked and wet with me in my shower? That is incredibly serious business,” Blaine said, waggling his eyebrows.

They finished their shower rather quickly for two horny teenagers in the same space; they used their hands for cleaning rather than exploring and were done in record time. Kurt felt much better after a hot shower, but things down below were still a little on the achy side. He was definitely going to be moving a little more slowly that day.

They both got dressed in comfortable, knock-about clothing and headed to the car. Blaine decided he would do the driving since he knew where the restaurant they would be going to was located. Kurt sat down gingerly and cranked up the iPod.  He cued up his 100+ song playlist of just karaoke tracks. It was definitely a little bit geeky, but he felt like singing, so he turned up the volume and they sang at the top of their lungs all the way to Westerville.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Kurt spotted a Jeep in the parking lot that looked vaguely familiar. He couldn’t place it, though, so he shook the thought out of his head and followed Blaine into the restaurant. It was more like a diner than anything, complete with counter and stools and booths lining the outside walls of the building.

Kurt and Blaine slid into a booth and perused the menu. Without warning, Kurt felt the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and the feeling made him a bit queasy. He looked up and saw a familiar person, the owner of the Jeep, leave the restroom and sit down in one of the booths on the other side of the diner.

Karofsky.

“… Kurt?” Blaine waved his hand in front of Kurt’s face. “Baby? What’s wrong? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

Kurt slowly pulled his gaze away from the booth across the restaurant and into his own. When he finally managed to fix his eyes on Blaine, he noticed that Blaine looked a little frantic. Kurt rubbed his face with one hand. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just…”

Kurt again looked across the restaurant. Blaine turned around and scanned the tables to see if he could figure out what Kurt was so fixated on. Kurt could tell the exact moment when Blaine spotted the bully.

Blaine’s face morphed into a scowl, and he clenched his teeth. Protective Blaine was now on duty. “Let’s go,” he commanded.

“No, Blaine, we’re going to stay here and eat like normal people. He doesn’t even seem to know we’re here.”

“Fine. But I’m going to sit on your side of the booth with you. I don’t want him out of my sight.”

The server came and took the boys’ orders. Kurt ordered a club sandwich and Blaine got a burger. He insisted that the onion rings at this restaurant were a thing of beauty, so Kurt allowed himself to be convinced that they should share a large basket of them.

They sat close together, but not so close as to be considered PDA, and chatted about inconsequential things. Blaine giggled at Kurt when he shifted uncomfortably once or twice on the hard booth seat.

Kurt shot him a bitchbrow. “Don’t EVEN go there, Mr. Anderson. You won’t be laughing when this is you.”

Blaine shut up immediately. He leaned over to quickly kiss Kurt on the cheek. “I love you!”

Kurt laughed. “Sucking up, are we?”

“Huh huh huh huh huh,” Blaine said, in his best Butthead voice. “You said sucking.”

“Oh good lord. I am in love with a ten year old boy. And that’s just wrong.”

Thankfully, the downward turn their conversation had taken was interrupted by the arrival of their meals. Kurt had to admit, he was impressed by the food. It was simple but good, and the onion rings were every bit as good as Blaine had claimed, though Kurt was not excited about the horrible breath they were sure to have after eating the huge plateful. _Thank goodness for the gum and Tic Tacs in the car,_ Kurt thought.

All of a sudden, Blaine said, “Holy shit,” under his breath as he was staring across the restaurant.

“Blaine, what is it?”

“Karofsky.”

“Yeah, but what… ?” Kurt shifted so he could see Karofsky’s table more clearly from where he was sitting. His lunch companion was male… and they were holding hands across the table.

“He came out…” Kurt whispered in wonder. “He actually came out!”

“I think I recognize that guy. He goes to Dalton. Not a Warbler or in any extracurriculars that I know of, just a regular guy there for the academics. But I’ve seen him around… Max, I think his name is?”

Kurt tilted his head as he scoped out Karofsky’s date. “He’s kinda cute, if you like tall beefy blonds.”

Blaine raised a triangular eyebrow. “If I had known that’s what you were into, I’d dye my hair and put lifts in my shoes.”

Kurt wrapped an arm around Blaine’s waist. “Oh hush, you. You know I prefer short guys with big brown puppy dog eyes that can’t seem to refrain from jumping on the furniture.”

Blaine gave Kurt a playful shove. “Is that how you see me? As some sort of animal?”

“If the adorably hyper shoe fits!”

Kurt laughed, but Blaine’s attention was immediately grabbed by movement across the way. He looked up, and Karofsky was staring right at Kurt and Blaine.

“ _Oh fuck,_ ” Blaine mumbled. “He sees us. He’s coming this way. Crap! Should we bail, babe?” Blaine reached into his pocket for his wallet to get enough cash to pay for their bill, even though their check hadn’t been dropped off yet.

Kurt gently placed his hand on Blaine’s wrist. “It’s okay, Blaine. Let’s… let’s just see what he wants, okay?”

Blaine was torn. He wanted nothing more to get Kurt out of there; he wanted to protect Kurt as he hadn’t been able to do before. But he had to admit, he was curious, and Kurt’s eyes pleaded with him to give this a chance. He didn’t know why Kurt wanted to hear what Karofsky had to say, but he was going to give Kurt what he wanted.

“Okay. But the SECOND he tries anything, Kurt…”

“I know. And I will be happy to let you drag me out of here if he does. But I think we’ll be all right.”

Karofsky slowly and carefully approached Kurt and Blaine’s table, the boy named Max hanging back several steps behind him. He stood at the edge of their table silently, looking down at his shoes.

Obviously someone needed to break the ice, so Kurt said cooly, “Dave.”

Karofsky looked up slightly, still not meeting Kurt’s eyes, but his own eyes at least in the general vicinity of the two. “Hi, Kurt. Um, Blaine, right?”

“That’s my name.”

Karofsky, in an uncharacteristic move, shuffled his feet. He was very anxious and uncomfortable, but he also appeared determined.

“Look, I know I’m not supposed to come anywhere near you, but… can I talk to you for a minute?”

Blaine spoke up. “I have 911 dialed into my phone right now.” He held up his cell so that Karofsky could see the face of it. “If you so much as breathe wrong, I will not hesitate to call. However, since Kurt seems to want to give you a chance, and since I will do absolutely anything for Kurt, you can go ahead and talk. Do not make either one of us regret letting you near us.”

Karofsky nodded. “That’s fair, I guess. I want to start off by saying, I am so sorry for my actions. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what an awful person I was last year and how horribly I treated you. I am so ashamed of everything I’ve done. Getting physical with you was bad enough – I could have really hurt you, I know – and prom was just cruel. I realize now how cruel it was. I am thankful now that you had a man, a REAL man, to step up next to you and do what I couldn’t do.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me, or even accept my apology, but I assure you, I’m being sincere, and I wanted you to hear it. I’ve been seeing a therapist for the last year, and it’s really helped. I’ve come to terms with a lot of things about myself since then. Like… I’m gay.”

Kurt and Blaine nodded. “We know,” they said in unison.

“I figured. I had a hell of a time accepting it, and my dad sure didn’t want to. My relationship with my entire family has been strained since I came out, but I feel better now that I know who I am. I did all of those things because I was so angry. So angry that you had everything I wanted. Friends and a father that love you for who you are, a partner who thinks you hung the moon. I was so jealous, and it ruined me. “

“Can I ask you something?” asked Blaine. “Did you have a crush on Kurt?”

Karofsky hesitated, but nodded his head once. “Yeah. That’s why I kissed him.”

“Did you know that you stole his very first kiss with a boy away from him? Did you know how much that meant to Kurt?”

“I felt so violated, Dave,” Kurt chimed in. “I’m a dreamer and a romantic. I wanted to save my first kiss with a boy for the right person. Unlike a lot of other people, I don’t just kiss anyone. I wish that had been something I could have saved for Blaine. You took that away from me,” Kurt said softly with tears in his eyes.

“Hey…” Blaine said softly to Kurt, brushing away the moisture that had escaped from his eyes. “As far as I’m concerned, that kiss didn’t count, and that you and me in the common room at Dalton is the only one that matters.”

“I’m so sorry, Kurt. Nothing I can say will give that back to you. But I regret everything I’ve ever done to you. You didn’t deserve any of it.”

Karofsky’s boyfriend came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him.

“Hi guys, I’m Max,” he said. “Thanks for letting Dave talk to you. I just want you to know that he’s been honest with me from the start. He has never once tried to hide what an asshole he was to you both. He’s owned up to it to me, and thank you for letting him own up to it to you. He’s getting better, but he really needed this.”

Max turned to Karofsky, “We should probably head out. We’ve still got to meet up with my folks in an hour.”

“Okay,” Karofsky agreed. “Thanks for letting me talk. You two look like you’re really happy, and I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you, Dave,” said Kurt. “He’s my whole life.” Kurt paused for a minute to think. “I accept your apology. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to become best buddies or anything, but I appreciate that you’ve taken steps to be a better person. I hope you have a good life, Dave.”

“You too, Kurt, Blaine. You deserve everything and more. Goodbye.”  He and Max turned and walked out of the restaurant. From the window in their booth, Kurt and Blaine saw them stop outside the door and Karofsky bury his face in Max’s shoulder. Max held him tight for a few minutes, and then they continued on to Karofsky’s Jeep and drove away.

Kurt and Blaine both leaned back against the back of the booth and looked at each other. “Wow,” Blaine said.

“Understatement…” Kurt replied.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said, a tiny bit of surprise in his voice. “Yeah, amazingly enough, I think I’m awesome. I think I needed that.”

“I know you did. I did too. I can sleep better at night now, knowing he’s not going to all of a sudden decide to come after you.”

“Honey, have you been worrying about that?”

“Well, not all the time, but occasionally my brain has latched onto the idea and it’s kept me from sleeping well at times.”

Kurt took Blaine’s chin in his hand and turned his head to face him. “Honey, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because there’s nothing you can do. And I didn’t want any bad memories resurfacing for you.”

“We’re in this together all the way, Blaine. Please don’t keep anything from me, thinking you’re protecting me. The things you think I need protecting from are often the things I need to know the most.”

“Okay. But the same goes for you too, Kurt.”

Kurt nodded and rested his head on Blaine’s shoulder. “Drama is exhausting.”

Blaine chuckled. “I’ll say. What should we do now? We’re close to Dalton – wanna go hang out?”

“As much as I’d like to, our friends are much too hyper for me to tolerate today. Let’s call some of them later and make plans for next weekend, though, okay? For now, let’s just go to my house. The family is all home hanging out today. We could have a movie marathon day and just hang out.”

The boys stopped by Redbox on their way home and got several recent releases that they hadn’t made it to the theaters for, including Rio. Neither one of them could resist an adorable animated bird.

Upon their arrival at the Hummel home, they discovered that Burt was still at the garage, but Carole and Finn were around and eager to join their movie marathon. When Burt arrived home several hours later, he found the DVD menu on repeat and all four of them curled up on the couch together, fast asleep. Finn sat on the end with his mom resting her head on his shoulder. Kurt laid with his head on a pillow in Carole’s lap, and Blaine was sprawled out on top of Kurt with his arms squeezed tightly around him and his head on his chest. Even with the extra long couch they had purchased to accommodate Finn’s height, it was still a tight fit, and Burt found himself wishing there was just a bit more room so he could join his family.

Burt stood for a few moments just looking at them and smiling. _I should take a picture of this. Carole would probably kill me if I don’t take a picture of this._ He rummaged around for the camera, finally finding it in the entertainment center. He accidently let the door close a little too loudly, which disturbed Blaine, but he only shifted slightly and fell back to sleep. _Phew,_ he thought. _Now, how do you work this thing?_ He managed to find the on/off switch and just prayed it was set correctly for a regular picture. Burt pointed the camera and pressed the button, the flash lighting up the room. He cringed, but thankfully, no one seemed to be any the wiser. _They must’ve been asleep for awhile now to be sleeping that deeply._

Burt set the camera on the side table so he would remember to show the picture to Carole; he knew she would be happy to have a picture of herself with the boys, even if they were all asleep at the time. He turned off the DVD player and TV, and he grabbed a few throw blankets and tucked everyone in. He then kissed everyone on their foreheads and stepped quietly out of the room, wondering how in the hell he got so lucky to get to come home to such an amazing group of people.

**xXxXxXx**

Later that evening after dinner, Kurt got up stiffly from his chair to help clear the table and take care of the dishes. Burt noticed his slow deliberate movements and asked him if he was okay. The tips of Kurt’s ears turned red as he assured his father he was just fine, but Burt was unconvinced. Moments after Kurt had entered the kitchen, the proverbial light bulb went on for Burt.

 _Oh God, it happened,_ he thought to himself. _Did I want to know this? I didn’t want to know this. But I should know this. Right? I should talk to him. I don’t want to do this. But I should. Shouldn’t I? Yes, I should._

He joined the rest of the family in the kitchen and went to the sink where Kurt was scrubbing a pot. He said quietly, “Hey buddy, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Kurt looked stunned for a moment and then pasted on a normal face. “Yeah, sure. Blaine, honey, will you finish this for me? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Blaine assured Kurt that it would be no problem. They stopped and looked at each other; Blaine seemed to know what was coming and shot him a quick encouraging look.

Kurt and Burt went into the living room and sat down on the couch, Kurt still moving carefully.

“You’re pretty stiff today, are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah Dad, I’m okay. I, um… got a lot of exercise yesterday.” Kurt’s face flushed a deep red as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

Burt burst out laughing. “Is THAT what they’re calling it these days?”

Kurt bent over and put his face in his hands. “Come on Dad, PLEASE don’t make this discussion any more mortifying than it already is.”

Burt remained silent, staring at Kurt expectantly.

“You’re going to make me say this, aren’t you?”

“Believe me, I don’t really want to hear it any more than you want to say it, but you and me have a good relationship, kid. We shouldn’t have secrets. And I can assure you, once we get it out in the open, we never have to talk about it again unless you want to. Okay?”

“Okay.” Kurt took a deep breath. “Blaine and I made love last night.”

Burt paused for a moment to let the information he knew sink in. “Yeah, I kind of guessed that. I’m actually kind of surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.”

“Neither of us took the loss of our virginities lightly. Yesterday was our one year anniversary of dating, and we were both quite comfortable with… being together… after that length of time. It’s not something we rushed into at all.”

“I know, Kurt, I know, and I’m glad. You and Blaine are amazing people with good heads on your shoulders, and I’m proud of you both. All I want for either of you is to be happy. I just ask one thing.”

“What’s that, Dad?”

“Please don’t let me catch you. Just like you boys don’t want to know about me and Carole,” Kurt shuddered, “we don’t want to know about you and Blaine. Okay?”

“Ugh. Yes, agreed. Absolutely,” Kurt said disgustedly.

Burt laughed. “Oh, one more thing. I wouldn’t be a good father if I didn’t ask, but you boys are being safe? And you’re treating each other right?”

Kurt nodded. “Yes. We’re good. I promise.”

“Good. That’s all I need to know.” Burt reached over to give Kurt a big hug. “I love you, Kurt.”

Kurt returned the hug with a tight squeeze. “Love you too, Dad.”

Kurt retreated quickly to the kitchen where he expected to see Blaine, but all the dishes were clean and put away, so he trotted up the stairs to his bedroom. Blaine was sprawled across Kurt’s bed with his cell phone in his hand.

Blaine smiled as Kurt walked into the room. “Good talk?” he said with a grin.

“Once the blush that has burned its way across my face has died down some, I may be able to answer that question.”

Blaine hid his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking with laughter that was desperate to escape. Kurt grabbed a pillow and smacked Blaine with it. “Don’t you EVEN start, Mr. Anderson!”

Blaine put his hands up in surrender. “I give! I’m sorry! But really, you’re not crying and you’re still talking to me. It couldn’t have been too bad, right?”

“No, it wasn’t too bad. Dad is the best dad. He just wanted me to confirm his suspicions and that everything is good. Which it is. All he asks is that he doesn’t catch us. He said he doesn’t want to know about us any more than we want to hear about him and Carole.” Blaine shuddered, and Kurt laughed. “That’s exactly what I thought!”

“Thank God I have my own place. I don’t want to have to wait to do THAT again…”

Blaine drew Kurt close to him and they kissed each other hungrily. They hadn’t had anything other than quick pecks all day so their passion escalated quickly. They had, however, forgotten the door was open. Finn barged in the door and did a double take. “DUDE!” he said loudly and immediately retreated down the hall. The boys immediately dissolved into giggles.

“Your house?” Kurt asked.

“Yep, let’s go!”


	41. Chapter 41

“Soooooo…” Blaine said.

“Soooooo… what?” Kurt looked up from his laptop where he was working on what felt like the eightieth paper assigned that month.

“So, someone’s birthday is coming up, and I’m looking for ideas on how to celebrate it.”

Kurt sighed as he clicked a button with the mouse and shut the lid on the laptop. “Blaine, I really don’t want a big fuss made over my birthday.”

“But you held a huge party for mine.”

“We were celebrating more than just your birthday, sweetie. You were gone for a long time. Everyone needed to see you. I’m right here, and I’ve been here. I don’t need something huge. To be honest, I was just figuring on having a sleepover with my girls and calling it good.”

Blaine’s face lit up. “Oooh, that sounds like fun! I – “ He glanced at Kurt and saw that he had a somewhat patronizing look on his face. “Oh. When you say girls, you really mean girls, don’t you?”

Kurt hesitated. “Well, sleepovers have always been just us girls. Well, me as an honorary girl and my girls. You’d be so bored!”

“Tell me how I’d be bored.”

“Well, we talk about clothes…”

Blaine pouted, “I can trash Rachel’s clothes just as well as you can.”

“We watch chick flicks…”

“Who cried harder than you at The Notebook?”

“We paint each other’s nails…”

Blaine held out his fingers to display his chipped rainbow painted nails. “You know as well as I do that I have the largest nail polish collection out of any of you. In fact, y’all can redo the job I’ve got going here for me.”

“We talk about boys…” Kurt trailed off, realizing how stupid his arguments were getting.

Blaine raised a pointy eyebrow in Kurt’s direction. “Really, Kurt? You’re going to use THAT as an argument?”

“Okay, fine. You’re just as much of a girl as the rest of us.”

“Hey, I’m definitely BOY where it counts!”

Kurt leered suggestively. “Yes you are, baby, yes you are.”

“Seriously, Kurt, I know how much your sleepovers with the girls mean to you, and I will totally understand if you’d rather not have me there. But this one would be for your birthday, Kurt, and I want to celebrate you just as you did me.”

“Yeah, sweetie, you can join us. I don’t know what I was thinking, by thinking that you wouldn’t want to be there!”

Blaine jumped up and down. “YAY! I’m so excited! So are you going to invite just Mercedes and Rachel, or will it be all the girls?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. What do you think?”

“It all depends on if you want to go low key, or if you want to walk on the wild side a bit. You gotta admit, inviting Santana could be interesting.”

“Oh I’ve seen ‘interesting,’ thank you very much. Not sure my heart can handle it.”

Blaine snuck up behind Kurt and snaked his arms around his waist. “Oh, believe me, Kurt, if your heart can handle what we did last night, I feel certain you can handle Santana for one night.”

Kurt felt his face redden, remembering what went on the night before. He didn’t know he was quite that flexible…

*snap snap* Blaine snapped his fingers in Kurt’s face. “I know what you were thinking, babe. You might want to hold onto that thought for later. As much as I wouldn’t mind staging an exact reenactment of that, I believe you’re expected home fairly soon, aren’t you?”

Kurt swore under his breath. Blaine was pretty sure he heard the words “damn cockblocker” somewhere in his grumblings.

Later that evening at dinner, the same topic came up in their conversation. Kurt shared his idea of a girls/gay guys only sleepover, and Finn objected, stating that he was sure the Glee guys would want to do something with Kurt as well. Carole, knowing that Kurt wanted very little attention on him unless he was performing, suggested that she cook a huge dinner and invite the Glee club to share it with them, and then they could go their own separate ways afterward. Finn agreed that that would be acceptable and decided that he would like to host a gaming tournament with the rest of the boys while Kurt, Blaine, and the girls did their thing. They decided to hold the gathering that coming Friday night. They would expand their weekly Hudmel/Anderson dinner to include the whole Glee club family.

Finn was the first to be excused from the dinner table claiming he had homework he needed to get done. Kurt knew better; he knew Finn had a hot IM date with Rachel, and he was probably going to contact the other guys and let them know of the plans for Friday.

Kurt offered to clear and wash by himself, knowing that Carole had had an extra long day that day and would be happy to spend a few extra moments alone with Burt. Carole kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for being a most thoughtful son and rushed to the family room to join Burt before Kurt could change his mind.

As he stood scrubbing the dishes, he realized that the decision of which girls to invite had actually been made for him. If the entire Glee club was coming over for dinner, and then all the guys were going to hang out with Finn afterward, Kurt HAD to extend the sleepover invite to all the girls. He couldn’t just invite Mercedes and Rachel.

He hadn’t really wanted this much fuss for his birthday. For as dramatic as he was with nearly everything else in his life, his birthdays were something he preferred to keep very mellow and low key.

He sighed as he put the last dish in the cabinet and headed upstairs to his laptop. If this was going to be a big production, it was going to be a Kurt Hummel production and would be as fabulous as possible.

**xXxXxXx**

“Babe, it looks AMAZING in here,” Blaine said in awe as Kurt showed him the dining room on the night of his dinner party. He figured that if he was going to entertain, he was going to do it right.

Thankfully, they had already had a larger sized dinner table which would seat ten if you put the leaves in. Kurt was able to borrow a folding table that was almost the same width and height as the permanent table to extend their eating space to accommodate the extra people. It would be a tight fit, but with so many couples attending, most people wouldn’t mind things being a bit cozy.

Kurt had chosen to decorate the room in turquoise and chocolate brown. The tablecloths were a subtle damask pattern in brown on brown, and the special occasion dishes were turquoise Fiestaware. The pairing made a beautiful table. The faux crystal wine glasses (i.e. the finest plastic ones that the party store sold) would be used to serve the sparkling grape juice Carole had purchased. Kurt added ivory cloth napkins folded into fans and silver candlesticks to complete the table. He refused to use balloons or streamers to decorate with, writing them off as “too tacky and juvenile,” but he was all about using beautiful floral arrangements to add dashes of color throughout the room.

Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt’s waist and pulled him close. “Admit it, Kurt. You’re enjoying this just a bit, aren’t you?”

Kurt smiled softly.  “Yeah, as much as I don’t really like others to make a fuss over me, I do enjoy entertaining and decorating and all of that. It was fun to have an excuse to do all this.”

“As I said before, it’s amazing. Stunning, even. You are very good at this. Heck, if the Broadway thing doesn’t work out for you, you can always be Martha Stewart’s successor or something.”

Kurt’s jaw dropped in mock horror. “Oh PLEASE! I am far more fabulous than that bitch can ever hope to be, and I didn’t have to do things like turn tampons into Christmas tree angel ornaments to get there!”

Blaine paused for a moment and then burst out into laughs. “No wonder why I love you, babe. You make me laugh and you don’t decorate using feminine hygiene products. What more could a guy need?”

**xXxXxXx**

Carole had really outdone herself. Kurt sent Blaine into the living room where Burt and Finn were keeping out of the way and went into the kitchen to see if he could help. He was met with dishes and serving bowls covering every surface. Everything looked and smelled delicious, and he found himself trying to snitch a bite from the plate nearest him.

“Ah ah ah! Paws up in the air where I can see him!” she scolded him, metal whisk in hand. “I didn’t think it’d be YOU I’d have to shoo away from the food. You’re normally my civilized child when it comes to being able to wait until the food is served.”

“But Carole, it’s my birthday. PLEASE?” Kurt whined, trying to imitate Blaine’s puppy dog eyes to get his way.

“Forget it. Only Blaine can do the puppy dog eyes, and he’s already been in here trying to use them. And it didn’t work for him, either. Go out in the living room and – “

-~ ** _ding dong~-_**

“answer the door for your guests,” Carole ordered. “Leave my masterpiece alone. I’ll be ready to serve in half an hour, so if everyone isn’t here soon, start to harass them by text or else Finn and Blaine will eat it all.”

Kurt laughed. “And even then, they’ll still be trolling the kitchen, looking for more. How did we manage to get stuck with the two biggest human garbage cans on the planet?”

“We got very, very, lucky. There’s something to be said for never having to scrape lab experiments that have grown from forgotten leftovers out of plastic containers,” Carole said.

“I wouldn’t trade either one of them,” Kurt replied seriously. He bounced out the door to grab the door before Finn could drag everyone into a game of Call of Duty – once he and Puck and Sam started playing CoD, he would never see them again.

“And I wouldn’t trade any of you kids, either,” Carole said to herself as she began put the finishing touches on the last few dishes she would be serving.

“Happy Birthday Kurtsie,” Mercedes sang as she thrust a present into his hands.

“Mercedes, I thought I said no presents,” Kurt whined.

“Oh, you said it. But nobody listened to you,” she said flippantly.

“But I don’t need anything.”

“Shut it, white boy. You might not need anything, but there are a few things you have been expressing your undying desire for, for months now, and not only did we listen, but we are eager to shut you up, too.”

Kurt giggled. “Oh, um, well, I didn’t realize I had been irritating. I guess when you put it that way…”

“Yeah, I didn’t think it would be too hard to get you to accept gifts.”

“Hey, I’m starving!” yelled Puck from the other room. “When and where’s the grub?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Puckerman, ever so eloquent. We’re still waiting on Santana and Brittany. As soon as they get here, we can eat. And stay out of the kitchen!” he scolded as he saw Puck trying to sneak in. “Carole even kicked ME out of the kitchen – I’m sure she’ll have a wooden spoon with your name on it to beat you with if you set foot in there.”

“I’m not afraid of her!” Puck said confidently as he again headed toward the kitchen.

“Yeah, well I am,” said Finn. “Kurt’s not wrong about the wooden spoon.”

“Okay, okay,” Puck surrendered, his hands up in the air. “I’ll save my beatings for the bedroom.”

Kurt huffed disgustedly. “Really Puckerman? Just… really?”

Puck could do nothing but grin evilly.

“Lets me in, Lima Heights Adjacent represent!” called Santana from the foyer. “Happy birthday, Porcelain. Glad to see you are of age now and Hobbit over there can defile you legally.”

“Jesus, Santana! My parents are here!”

“Oh puh-lease, like they don’t already know. I’m looking at you and I can tell two finally did it all – I’m sure they can see it too.”

Kurt turned as red as anyone had ever seen him, and Blaine wasn’t far behind. Kurt spoke softly. “Dad and Carole do know, but that’s because I have a really good relationship and tell them everything. But I think you went way too far by just announcing it to a whole room of people. Now, if you think you can behave, you can stay, but if you’re going to continue to try to humiliate me, I’d prefer it if you’d just leave.”

Finn turned to glare at Santana. He didn’t know about Kurt and Blaine, and he REALLY didn’t want to know about whatever they did together, but there would be no harassment of his brothers in his house if he had anything to say about it.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that there are some people that are too embarrassed to talk about sex.”

“We’re NOT embarrassed!” Blaine spat out, almost yelling. “We just don’t feel it necessary to shout every detail of our sex life from the rooftops like you do!”

“Maybe you should go, Santana,” Finn said quietly.

“No, she can stay,” Kurt interrupted, “but she needs to keep her mouth shut.”

Santana, giving in, said, “All right, all right. I’m sorry. Okay?”

Kurt and Blaine shared a look. Kurt nodded his head in her direction once, and then they both went into the kitchen to let Carole know everyone was there.

“Is everything all right, boys? I heard some shouting.”

“Just Santana being Santana, Mom,” Kurt said quickly. “No big deal.”

Carole smiled. She still got a thrill every time Kurt called her Mom. He didn’t say it all the time, but when he did, it warmed her heart.

“Okay. I take it everyone’s here now?”

“Yep, and I’ve already had to hold Puckerman back from the kitchen. I had to tell him you have a wooden spoon and weren’t afraid to use it.”

“This is true. Did you know that the phrase was actually ‘Speak softly and carry a big spoon,’ and that it was actually referring to me?”

Kurt and Blaine cracked up. Blaine found it hard to believe Carole wasn’t Kurt’s biological mother because their senses of humor were so similar at times.

“I believe it, Carole,” Blaine said. “Your spoon is legendary.”

“As it should be. Come on, boys, grab some stuff and haul it out to the table. I’m letting you off the hook for cleanup, so the least you can do is help serve.”

Kurt gave Carole a huge hug. “You got it. And in case I haven’t said it enough, thank you for doing this. I love you!”

“You’ve said it plenty, but I love hearing it. Love you too!”

Kurt and Blaine each grabbed dishes with both hands and started hauling them out to the table. After several trips, the table was loaded and practically groaning under the weight of all that food. The sad thing was, Kurt knew that there still wouldn’t be much for leftovers after all that.

The entire crew sat down to the table, and Carole walked around pouring the chilled juice into the plastic wine glasses. Burt took his glass and raised it up in the air. “To my amazing son, Kurt. It’s been a helluva year, but you made it out relatively unscathed and still smelling like a rose.”

“That’s Chanel’s Egoiste you smell, Dad,” Kurt broke in. The group all laughed.

“Regardless, Happy Birthday, buddy. It’s a pleasure being your dad.” All the girls awwww-ed and the boys kept silent – they didn’t want to say anything wrong and chance Carole not feeding them.

“Thank you, Dad,” Kurt said as he jumped up from his seat and hugged Burt.

“Me me me me me!” exclaimed Mercedes. “My turn! So, white boy, I haven’t seen you as much ever since you started seeing this FINE boy sitting here to your left, but you are still my very best friend. I look forward to another year of shopping and celebrity gossip.”

“Here here!” agreed Kurt as he raised his glass.

“Anyone else?” asked Blaine. Seeing none, he stood. “Okay, you guys. You know me. This is probably going to be very sappy, so I’ll try to keep it brief.”

“Try to keep it IN your briefs, too!” shouted Puck. Lauren smacked him hard in the back of the head. “OWWW dammit!”

“Language!” scolded Carole.

Kurt rolled his eyes. There were times he couldn’t believe he associated with some of these people.

“AS I WAS SAYING…” Blaine continued. “Today, we are here to celebrate the magic that is Kurt. Burt, I’ve gotta say thank you, for if you and Kurt’s mom hadn’t jumped the gun a little bit, our Kurt might have been born a little too late for us to cross paths. And for that, I am thankful.” Burt blushed, and Kurt put his face in his hands. It was well known that Kurt was a product of teen parents, just barely out of high school. “Where would we all be without Kurt? The world would be significantly less fashionable, that’s for sure.” Kurt looked down at his fabulous birthday ensemble and nodded in agreement. “We would all be laughing a lot less because let’s face it, Kurt’s sarcasm is a hoot. And we would probably all be lacking that one person in our lives that will never judge us unless we want him to, and who will always be there to listen to us whenever we need him. He usually has some extremely thoughtful and relevant words of advice, too. So, let us all raise our glasses in celebration of another year with our Kurt!”

“I think that was the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said, sweetie, but I loved it,” Kurt said with a grin. He reached over to give Blaine a big hug. Mercedes grabbed her knife and started clinking her wine “glass.” It didn’t quite make the desired sound, but the idea behind it was the same. The rest of the group quickly followed suit and began tapping their glasses as well.

Kurt treated the table to his infamous eye roll and sighed. “This is not a wedding reception. We’re not going to kiss just because you’re banging your cutlery on plastic glassware.”

“Speak for yourself, babe,” Blaine said, planting a giant smooch on Kurt’s lips.

“YEAH!” The boys all cheered, fist pumping the air like idiots. The girls all Awwwed and internally cursed their boyfriends for not being anywhere near as romantic and sweet as Kurt and Blaine. Everyone laughed and started digging into the food. It seemed like nearly every style of cooking was represented on that table. There were even a couple of vegan dishes that Rachel had coached Carole on, and she and Quinn devoured them. For awhile, there was no noise in the room except for the sounds of chewing, forks clinking on plates

“So what do you think, baby?” Blaine whispered into Kurt’s ear. “Having fun?”

As much as he hadn’t wanted a large gathering, he _was_ having fun. “Yeah, I really am. I’m a little worried about Santana, now that she knows about us, but otherwise I’m looking forward to having girl time, too.”

Blaine chuckled. “I am, too, actually. I’ve always done a lot of girly stuff, but I’ve never gotten together with a group of girls solely to do girly things.”

“Oh, this’ll be eye opening, I guarantee it.”


	42. Chapter 42

“Present time! Present time!” Rachel bounced in her chair.

Kurt’s face fell. “Guys, I really don’t want you spending your money on me. I know it’s pretty hard to come by for some of you…”

“Kurt, shut up. We brought you presents. Get over it and enjoy!” Mercedes chastised him.

“You’re right, you’re right. Thanks, everyone. Whatever y’all got me, I know I’ll love it.”

Kurt opened several gift cards to Bloomingdales and Macys, which he loved, enough gift subscriptions to extend his Vogue subscription until practically the end of time, and a GAP gift card from Mercedes, who snickered as he opened it. Giving her the fiercest eyeroll he could muster, he dramatically handed it over to Blaine and stared at her sternly. She cracked up and handed him a different envelope. “That GAP gift card is blank; I just wanted to see how you’d react. And I was NOT disappointed! This is your real gift.” Inside was a certificate for a spa day for him, her, and Blaine.

“Now THIS is more like it! Thank you, my sweet diva,” he said, quickly pecking her on the cheek.

Everyone had been keeping track of whose gifts had been received, and finally only one person was left. Blaine.

He sighed as he took a small package from behind his back and handed it to Kurt. “I wracked my brain trying to figure out what to get you for your birthday, Kurt. But we’ve done so many grand gestures. We do so many little gestures. You have everything you need, and the few things you truly want, I can’t afford. But after some brainstorming and scouring the internet, I believe I finally found something you don’t have and will love.”

Kurt tore the haphazardly wrapped paper off and found a CD inside. “Blaine, sweetheart, I already have this CD. In fact, I think it IS my CD,” he said, frowning as he examined The Sound of Music soundtrack in his hands.

“It IS your copy, Kurt. But now it’s improved. Look inside!”

Kurt lifted the cover and was met with…the back of the booklet inside. He looked questioningly at Blaine.

“Open it up, baby. Go to the page with the cast list on it,” Blaine said excitedly.

Kurt flipped ahead and located the credits page. Instead of the cast list he expected to see, Kurt was met with a page full of black Sharpie.

“Dear Kurt,” he read aloud. “Remember to always shoot for the moon, for even if you miss, you’ll still land among the stars. Good luck in New York; I hope to see you on Broadway someday! Truly yours…” Kurt sucked in a deep breath. “HOLY CRAP – Truly yours Julie Andrews! Blaine, how on Earth?”

Blaine grinned widely, pleased that his gift seemed to have gone over so well. “Well, I was reading the entertainment section of the paper and I found a tiny little blurb that said she’d be in town promoting a charity. I stalked the event and caught her outside as she was leaving. I felt kind of bad, but I knew how much this would mean to you. I promise I was polite, though – I hate those people who feel like they’re entitled to photos and autographs at any moment, so I was my sweet and charming self. Anyway, I also have a photo I took of her while signing the CD. I’m sorry I couldn’t take you to meet her yourself, but you were with Mercedes that day, so I went alone.”

“Blaine, this is amazing. Yeah, I’m kinda bummed that you met her and I didn’t, but this autograph is awesome. Thank you!”

Blaine noticed tears pooling in Kurt’s eyes. “Kurt, honey? What’s the matter? I thought you liked my gift?”

“Oh I do! I do, Blaine, you don’t know how much. I don’t think I’ve ever told you… or any of you,” he said as he looked around at his friends, “this, but I was named for Kurt in The Sound of Music. It was my mom’s favorite movie to watch, and she watched it a LOT while she was pregnant with me.  As soon as she knew I was a boy, she picked out the name Kurt. She always said it was her favorite because it rhymed with Burt, but I think it was because it was the only decent boy’s name in that movie. I mean, can you seriously picture me as a Friedrich or a Rolfe?”

Everyone giggled as Kurt turned up his nose at the other names. Blaine gently wiped the stray tears that managed to escape from Kurt’s eyes with his thumb. “No, you are most definitely not a Rolfe. You make one hell of a Kurt, though,” he said, as he pressed his lips against Kurt’s.

“Hello, LOTS of other people in the room,” Finn spoke up, but Santana poked him in the arm.

“Shut up, Frankenteen, I’m watchin’ here!” she said as she watched the boys kiss.

Kurt and Blaine both flipped Santana off as they finished their kiss. Almost as soon as they broke apart, Carole called into the room, “Cake time!”

Predictably, Puck and Finn were the first ones in the dining room, followed immediately by most of the rest of the boys, and the girls straggled behind them. Kurt and Blaine, hand in hand, were the last ones to join. Carole was just setting a beautiful cake on the table. It was shaped like a gift box – white with turquoise and brown fondant circles and an amazingly realistic turquoise fondant bow edged in brown.

“Wow, Carole,” Kurt said in awe. “This is absolutely amazing. Thank you!”

“Actually, Kurt, your father picked it out. The cake was all his idea.”

“Really Dad? This is just fantastic! I love it! Thanks so much!” he said as he threw himself into Burt’s arms for a hug.

Burt was a bit bashful at the sudden attention. “It was nothing, really. I went to the cake shop and told them I needed something in turquoise and brown that wasn’t TOO girly, though it was okay if it was a little girly, ‘cause you know, you like some girly things, and they came up with this. They did it all. All I had to do was go in and ask for it.”

“But Dad, YOU still did it. I don’t care that they designed the cake. I care that YOU were the one to take responsibility for the cake.”

Carol stuck a single candle in the cake (knowing that Kurt would probably have something to say about eighteen individual candles) and lit it. The New Directions serenaded Kurt with the Happy Birthday song, and of course with them being a singing group, they sang it beautifully in multiple part harmony. And of course with Blaine being Blaine, he hammed it up royally. Kurt blushed at the attention and rolled his eyes at his boyfriend, but he accepted his song gracefully and blew out the candle when they were through. The wish he made before the candle went out was an easy one – it had been the same wish he’d had for quite some time: to stay with Blaine and get his happily ever after.

Kurt took another long look at the cake and there the wisp of smoke had cleared and the candle had been removed. “I almost hate to cut into this, but I bet it’s just as delicious as it looks. Carole, can you take a picture of it before we dig in?”

“Oh, I took bunches of pictures in the kitchen before I brought it out, but I need pictures of you with it.”

“Ugh, Carole, you KNOW I don’t like having my picture taken!” Kurt pouted.

“Come on, sport, you only turn 18 once. Humor her, please?” Burt asked.

“Yeah, humor me please?” Carole chimed in.

“All right, all right. Blaine, get your buns over here. We need your adorable puppy dog face to save these pics,” Kurt ordered, reluctantly agreeing to let Carole have her way with her camera. Carole managed to snap a few pics of Kurt alone with the cake before Blaine got in the shots with him. But the picture taking session was soon ended because with the way Kurt and Blaine were teasing each other, she feared for the cake’s edibility – much more goofing around and the cake would be upside down on the floor. Not that it would stop Finn or Puck from eating it…

Carole took the cake away from Kurt and started slicing into it, and Rachel and Quinn helped her put pieces onto dessert plates and pass them around to the others.

“Kurt, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment? Blaine, you can come too,” Burt requested. Kurt and Blaine looked at each other questioningly and silently followed Burt.

“Kurt, I have one more birthday present for you. It’s actually for Blaine, too…”

“You didn’t have to do that, Dad. I love the cake, and I know custom cakes aren’t cheap.”

“Well, you needed a cake for your party, Kurt. That wasn’t really even a gift, regardless of how much it looks like one. So I got you this.” He handed Kurt an envelope. Kurt carefully tore it open and took out a single sheet of printer paper and a colorful brochure. He was slightly wary of the brochure until he took a second glance at it and confirmed that it wasn’t another one of “those” pamphlets.

Reading the sheet of paper, he found a confirmed reservation for two at a small bed and breakfast/resort just outside of Columbus.

“Dad, what’s this?” he asked.

“You kept on insisting this year that you had everything you needed. You had your family, you had Blaine, and you had all the material things you wanted. So I thought I’d try to find some sort of ‘experience’ for you. I didn’t know if it would be a show, or a trip, or an activity, or what. So I putzed around online and stumbled across this bed and breakfast. It’s run by a gay male couple and it caters to same sex couples, though anyone who is open-minded is welcome to stay there. I guess Columbus is thought to be pretty welcoming to folks like you, and I thought you might like to go somewhere that you don’t need to be quite so cautious about being affectionate toward one another in public. Just go somewhere to be _you._ This place looked pretty nice. They’re on a lake with trails and stuff, and they’re not too far outside of the city, and there’s a nice common area where you can go to hang out if you don’t want to go out but don’t want to be totally alone. There’s a Jacuzzi bathtub in every room, an indoor pool, home cooked breakfasts every morning…”

Kurt was somewhat overwhelmed. “Wow, Dad, you really thought this out. This is pretty amazing.”

“Boys, you two have been through a lot in the last year or so. And you’re so close to graduation and finals and Nationals for Glee – I thought it’d be nice for you guys to have a couple days of fun before you needed to get serious again.”

“This is really great, Burt. Thank you,” Blaine said, hugging the older man.

“I’m still kind of in shock that you’re giving me, AND MY BOYFRIEND, who you KNOW I’ve ‘been with,’ a weekend away together,” Kurt said.

“Well, I think of it this way – at least neither one of you is going to come home pregnant.”

All three men laughed, and with another round of hugs, they went back into the dining room to claim slices of cake.

**xXxXxXx**

“Nice place, Anderson. I’m impressed. So this is where you and Hummel do the wanky wanky, huh?” Santana said rudely.

“Santana, I warned you…” Kurt said.

“Jeez, Kurt. You’re so uptight. I would’ve thought Blaine…”

“SANTANA!” all the girls yelled.

“Why do you have to be such a bitch all the time, Santana? It’s really not attractive at all,” said Quinn.

“Come on girls, let’s get all of our stuff set up. Kurt, Blaine? How is this going to work?”

“Um, why don’t you all set your backpacks and stuff in Blaine’s room and lay out your pillows and blankets out here. Then it won’t be in our way.”

Brittany grabbed her bag and Santana’s and brought them to Blaine’s room. “Awww Brits, I wanted to see inside the den of sin!” she yelled. Everyone else decided to just ignore Santana this time, sensing it would be an incredibly long night if they didn’t pick their battles.

“What should we do first?”

“It’s Kurt’s birthday, he gets to choose first!”

“Oh,” Kurt said thoughtfully. “Um, let’s toss something we can all sing along to in the DVD player and then maybe do everyone’s hair?”

Santana rolled her eyes but, for once, didn’t say a word, even though she most definitely had an opinion. Kurt held up three DVDs – Guys and Dolls, Grease, and the 10th anniversary performance of Les Miserables at Royal Albert Hall. Rachel voted for Les Mis, but everyone else unanimously voted for Grease. Rachel pouted. “You guys just want to perv on John Travolta.”

Everyone else, including Kurt and Blaine, shouted, “YES!”

All sorts of hair products and baubles were produced, and everyone divided up into pairs. “Come here, white boy,” Mercedes called to Kurt. “You’re the only one I trust not to wreck my weave.”

Brittany and Santana paired up, as did Quinn and Tina, and surprisingly, Lauren offered to do Rachel’s hair. “You and I have a lot in common, boy hips. I was in pageants when I was a toddler as well. I still know what I’m doing.” She twirled a curling iron in her hand like a weapon, and for a brief moment, Racehl looked worried, but she decided to throw caution to the wind and let Lauren do her thing.

This left Blaine as the odd man out. “Aww honey, come here. You can be our errand boy.”

“No way, uh uh,” said Blaine. He went into his room and came out with a bucket of nail polish colors. “Mercedes can do my nails while you’re sitting here messing with her hair so my nails can be dry by the time you’re ready for me to do yours.”

“You’re really going to make me let you paint my nails?” Kurt sighed.

“You bet. And you’re gonna love it. I have many ideas for yours, babe.”

“I feel like I should be afraid.”

“Maaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy-be!” Blaine teased.

“Will you both shut up? I’m TRYING to watch the movie!” Rachel complained.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but everyone quieted down and started watching the movie. They had missed the opening credits and singing Grease, but as soon as Summer Lovin’ came on, everyone dropped their brushes and straightening irons and began to dance.

For once, Kurt was thrilled to be singing along with the boy part in a song, and he and Blaine switched off with each other to sing them, harmonizing beautifully when it came time to sing together. Rachel kept trying to take over the girls’ parts, but the others were more than happy to sing over her to get their own time. Kurt and Blaine took over the last line, though, and it almost became a competition for them to see who could sing it longer and campier. Kurt won when he threw his jazz hands in on the very last note.

“Dammit, I can’t compete with jazz hands!” Blaine laughed.

“NOTHING can compete with jazz hands, honey. Deal with it,” Kurt said, kissing him on the cheek.

Everyone settled back down and reclaimed their styling tools. The movie ended with all heads perfectly coiffed except for Kurt’s (well, it was perfect before they started) and Blaine’s (which Kurt had deemed as hopeless without gel, which is what Blaine had been trying to tell Kurt for ages).

During the movie, Mercedes had painted every single one of Blaine’s nails, including his toenails, a different color, which pleased him greatly.

“How did this nail polish fetish come about, anyway?” Kurt asked him.

“Honestly, I don’t even remember. I think it was a dare ages ago. Whatever the case, I ended up having a much girlier girly side than my friends would have predicted at that time, so I liked it more than most boys would. Thankfully I was smart enough not to admit that to anyone. It just kinda makes me ‘me’ now, so I really don’t care what people think.”

They put Les Mis in the DVD player, and everyone chose their colors. Blaine had everything – lights, darks, neons, glitters, clears – you name it, it was in there. Surprisingly, Blaine only chose two colors for Kurt – a royal blue sparkle and a plain white. He painted Kurt’s nails the blue and allowed them to dry, and after adding a topcoat in between, he began to add letters. On his left hand: L-I-K-E-S. On his right: B-L-AI-N-E. Kurt looked down at Blaine’s masterpiece and grinned. “Okay, this isn’t bad at all,” he admitted to Blaine.

“Of course not. I did it!”

“All right, all right, let’s put all this shit away and get down to business,” ordered Santana. “It ain’t a slumber party without a round of Never Have I Ever.” She rummaged in her sleeping bag and came up with a sizeable flask and held it in the air victoriously.

“Oh HELL no,” said Mercedes. “Sober Santana is bad enough.”

“Oh come on. I don’t think I can take any more of this lame-o party without liquid fortification.”

Ignoring her, Kurt said, “I’ll play, but I’m not TOUCHING whatever Santana has in that flask. You are all welcome to share with her, if she’ll let you, or grab something out of the fridge.”

Most of them grabbed a soda or water out of the fridge, but a few, including Brittany, Lauren, and surprisingly, Quinn, decided to share with Santana. All of them gathered in a circle and sat.

“Kurt, you go ahead and start.”

“Okay. Never have I ever… been comfortable playing this game with Santana.” Everyone laughed, but only the girls comfortable with the alcohol actually took a sip.

Blaine was up next. “Never have I ever… been in a car accident.” Santana, Lauren, and Kurt all took a sip. Santana admitted that she ran a stop sign. Lauren said that her depth perception before she got her new glasses wasn’t good. Everyone looked to Kurt, surprised that he would EVER let himself get in an accident. He flushed. “Um, I was checking my hair in the rearview mirror and I ran over a mailbox. Dad was pretty pissed at the dent in the fender.”

“Holy shit, and he still lets you drive?” Blaine asked, quite surprised. He knew Burt better than any of the others in the room and he was kind of surprised that Kurt was still in possession of a license and a vehicle.

“Well, Dad got sick of hauling me around pretty quickly, so he made me pay for all the repairs out of my savings and after being grounded for two weeks, I was back on the road.”

Rachel took the next round. “Never have I ever… purposely blown a solo because I was afraid how it would affect someone else.” She looked pointedly at Kurt. Kurt was the only one to take a sip. Blaine and Lauren were the only ones who didn’t know the story of Defying Gravity.

He detailed out how he fought to be able to audition for a solo that would have gone without question to Rachel, but he threw it at the last possible moment because of a derogatory phone call his father had received about him. “This was back after I had just come out to him, and I was so worried about how he’d deal with having a gay son and how others would treat me and him. Turns out I was worried for nothing. He would never want me to stifle who I am for him. Of course he wants me to be smart, but he would have been right there cheering me on had I gotten that solo… had we actually performed that song somewhere.

“And FOR THE RECORD, Rachel,” he went on. “I would have TOTALLY owned your ass on that song. I may have thrown the high note, but I was able, and am STILL able, to sing it flawlessly.” Kurt cleared his throat, demonstrated the high note, and was met by a standing ovation.

“I know, Kurt. I’m woman enough to admit it. But to be honest, the song would’ve been the BEST had we sung it together without the blown note. We’re amazing together.”

“But not as amazing as you and me together, right baby?” Blaine grabbed Kurt and snuggled him close.

“You know it!” Kurt agreed.

“Okay, okay, my turn!” Santana broke in. “Never have I ever… taken it up the ass!”

“SANTANA!” Rachel yelled, offended. The rest of the girls looked at her, almost in shock.

“What?” Santana asked. “It’s just a question. You can’t tell me you’re not all dying to know whether or not Hummel’s the girl in that relationship.”

The girls, even Lauren, surprisingly, just sat and stared. First at Santana, but then at Kurt and Blaine, who were rapidly growing more and more red, though one couldn’t be sure whether this was due to embarrassment… or rage.

Blaine stood up and pointed at the door. “That’s it. Santana, OUT,” he demanded. Kurt pulled on his hand and shook his head. “No, Blaine. This is Santana being Santana. You KNOW what she’s like.”

“But Kurt, this is our HOME. She has no right to come here and make things uncomfortable for us.”

Kurt’s heart warmed momentarily at Blaine’s slipup with the use of the word “our,” but he let it pass without comment and continued. “Blaine, honey, just sit down.”

“Am I being thrown out or not?” Santana asked haughtily.

“For some reason, my boyfriend, who I think has temporarily lost his ever-loving mind, thinks you should stay. So, you can stay, if you want. But so help me…”

“Blaine, calm down, honey,” Kurt soothed. “Oh, and Santana?” Kurt looked Blaine in the eye and Blaine nodded minutely. They both grabbed their beverages and took a swig.

Santana’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit! Are you serious? I never took you guys for switch hitters!”

Blaine said softly, “We have our preferences, but yes. End of story.”

The boys had taken every opportunity to explore everything they could think of to make each other feel good. Truthfully, they had felt a little awkward when Kurt had tried to top and hadn’t tried it that way again, even though they had still enjoyed themselves, but Santana didn’t need to know that.

“I think we should probably end this game now,” Kurt said diplomatically, “unless we want any more truly invasive and embarrassing questions to come up. Honestly, I’ve had enough.”

There was a rumble of agreement through the room, and it was agreed that they would queue up another movie and have something to munch on. It had been a long day, and they were all starting to get tired, so it was a good time to start winding down a bit for the night.

The opening screen for Love Story came up, and Santana whined, “Oh this movie is so sappy!”

“All in favor of sap, raise your hands!” Rachel ordered. All the hands in the room minus Santana’s were raised, even Lauren’s – she wasn’t typically into sap, but she felt it was probably best to go with the majority on this one.

Santana sighed. “FINE.” She fussed with her bedding and laid back on the floor. Brittany curled into her, and they began to watch the movie silently, which was a relief to all the others.

One by one during the movie, they took their turns in the bathroom to get ready for bed, and one by one, they drifted off to sleep, lulled by the music in the movie. When all of the girls but Rachel and Tina, who were the ones most into the movie, had drifted off to sleep, Kurt roused Blaine, who had nodded off himself. They whispered good night to the girls and stumbled off to the bedroom to turn in for the night themselves.

Blaine had barely stripped off his lounge pants in favor of sleeping in his boxers before he crawled into bed and fell asleep. Kurt shoved Blaine over a tiny bit more so he’d have more room and tucked him in, whispering his love and kissing him on the forehead.

Kurt was ready to head to bed himself, but first he made his way toward a specific duffle bag on the floor and rummaged around in it in the dark. Finding what he was looking for, he brought his prize into the bathroom. He pulled a small vial out of his pocket and opened the bottle in front of him, emptying the contents of the vial into the bottle. He shook the bottle carefully after tightening the cap, and he hid the empty vial before turning out the lights and making his way back to the duffle bag to put the bottle back. Satisfied that his work was done, he joined Blaine under the covers and assumed his role as big spoon before quickly drifting off to sleep himself.

 


	43. Chapter 43

Kurt woke up to the sounds of someone stirring in the other room. He sat up in bed slightly and rubbed his eyes.

“Shh, I’ll be right back, Brittany. I’m just going to take a quick shower and then I think I should probably go. The others are still kinda mad at me,” Santana whispered.

He heard a mumbled reply and footsteps approaching the bedroom. Anyone needing the bathroom would need to pass through to get to it, and Kurt didn’t want to be caught awake, so he quickly lay back down and feigned sleep.

Santana, in her hurry, wouldn’t have even noticed if Kurt had been dangling from the ceiling; she just grabbed her overnight bag and shut herself in the bathroom. He heard the sounds of her morning ablutions, and as soon as the water in the shower turned on, Kurt sat all the way up and began fumbling for his keys, cell phone, and wallet on the nightstand.

“Kurt, what’s wrong?” Blaine said sleepily. “What are you doing?”

“Santana’s in the bathroom. That’s my cue. Gotta fly!” Kurt leaned over and pecked Blaine on the lips and hustled himself out the door. He jumped into the Navigator and drove away.

Blaine shook his head to clear the cobwebs, but he still couldn’t figure out what had lit the fire under Kurt’s ass. He had been acting awfully suspiciously last night…

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” he heard Santana scream from the bathroom. The water turned off, and all of a sudden Santana burst through the bathroom door wrapped in a towel, still dripping. The moment Blaine caught sight of her, he began to laugh.

Santana was covered from neck to toe in splotches of purple dye, and she looked like something that belonged in a Crayola box or Easter basket.

“HUMMEL!!! WHERE ARE YOU??? I AM GOING TO FUCKING _END_ YOU!!!” she yelled as she stormed out of the bedroom into the main living area where the rest of the girls were grumbling about being woken up.

“What in the hell happened?” Mercedes demanded.

“SOMEONE, and it had to have been Kurt since the little coward tucked his tail in between his legs and RAN, put dye in my bottle of body wash!”

“Tanny, you look like Barney and Tinky Winky had a baby,” Brittany said innocently, but it was enough to shatter Santana’s angry façade, and she burst into tears.

“Oh no, Tanny, don’t cry, I’m sorry,” Brittany repeated over and over, softly stroking her wet hair as Santana cried on her shoulder.

“Why would Kurt do this to Santana? That was so mean,” Brittany asked. “I didn’t think Kurt was a mean person.”

“Brittany,” Quinn said gently. “Santana has been rude to Kurt and Blaine for a long time. He must’ve just snapped. Santana didn’t exactly stop pushing Kurt and Blaine with her questions and rude remarks last night.”

“Quinn’s right,” Blaine put in as he stepped out from his safe haven in the bedroom. “I was really kind of surprised he lasted this long. Santana, I was actually going to throw you out last night. Kurt and I were deeply embarrassed by your probing questions and incessant sticking your nose into our business. Kurt wanted you to stay. I thought he wanted to give you one more chance, but I guess we know now what was on his mind. I’m sorry your feelings are hurt and that you’re embarrassed by what Kurt did to you, but honestly, I can’t find it in me to feel all that bad for you. You brought this on yourself.”

Santana’s cries faded to sniffles as she listened to Blaine tell her the cold, hard truth. She had to truly think about what he had said, and she was forced to realize that while sex meant pretty much nothing to her anymore because she was so used to using it to get whatever she wanted, it still meant something, a LOT, to Kurt and Blaine.

“I’m sorry,” she said simply.

“I accept your apology,” Blaine replied, knowing that it was sincere. “However, you won’t be allowed back into my home again unless you’re respectful to everyone. Especially to Kurt. Kurt feels safe here, and I’ll be damned if he loses a place where he feels like he can be himself.”

Santana nodded and headed back into the bathroom to dry off and see if she could do some damage control.

Blaine’s phone buzzed with a text.

**B - So, what kind of madness did I leave behind? – K**

_K – Santana was really upset. She spent some time crying on Brit’s shoulder before she went back to try to clean herself up. – B_

**B – Damn. Didn’t mean to break her. Just thought maybe she’d stomp around for a bit and then leave. – K**

_K – The stomping came first, but an innocent comment from Brit broke her down.  She did end up apologizing, though, so that’s something. – B_

**B – Well, we deserve the apology, but I should probably apologize for the dye, too. BTW – got any olive oil? – K**

Blaine stared at his phone in confusion.

_K – yeah, we should have some from the last time we made Italian. Why? – B_

**B – Bring it to Santana. The oil will help with the dye. I’ll be home shortly to catch her before she leaves. – K**

_K – Okay. Love you. – B_

**B – Love you too – K**

Blaine dug around in his kitchen cabinets and found a bottle of olive oil that was, thankfully, mostly full. The other girls looked at him incredulously as he walked it to the bathroom, but he merely shrugged his head. Kurt was usually right about such things, so he just learned to smile, nod, and do what Kurt asked.

Blaine knocked on the door.

“What?” Santana asked whinily.

“Will you open the door, please?”

Santana wrenched the door open and looked expectantly at Blaine. He held out the bottle of olive oil. “Kurt said this would help remove the dye.”

“He didn’t spike this, too, did he?”

“No, he didn’t. I promise. Just give it a try. It should work.”

She grabbed the bottle and shut the door without a word. He left the bedroom and curled up on the couch while the girls were busy packing up their things. Puck would swing by to pick up Lauren, Rachel would drive herself, Tina, and Quinn to their homes, and Brittany was just waiting for Santana to finish in the bathroom and they would head over to Brit’s house to spend the day. Mercedes was just waiting for Kurt to arrive as he was her ride.

Keys rattled in the lock, and Kurt poked his head through the door cautiously. “Is it safe?”

“She’s still in the bathroom for now, but I did give her the olive oil,” Blaine said as he patted the seat on the sofa next to him.

Kurt sat down and leaned up against Blaine. “If anything, her skin will be softer and she’ll smell like Breadstix,” Kurt quipped.

“Oh she’ll like that!” Brittany said excitedly. “It’s her favorite place to eat!”

Everyone laughed at that remark. Brittany always knew just how to break the tension, even if she had no clue she was doing it at the time.

A loud, long car horn honk sounded through the window, and, Blaine thought, the rest of the neighborhood as well.

“Well, that’s my ride,” said Lauren. “Call me if there’s any bloodshed. Better yet, tape it and put it on YouTube!”

A group eye roll was performed. Everyone liked Lauren, but sometimes she was just a little bit too obsessed with drama.

Rachel ended up offering to take Mercedes home as well so Kurt wouldn’t have to leave, and soon it was just Kurt and Blaine and Santana and Brittany left behind. Santana stepped out of the bathroom looking sheepish, but thankfully looking much less like a grape than she had before. She put her belongings aside and sat next to Brittany before she opened her mouth to speak.

“Look, Porcelain, Hobbit,” Santana started. Kurt and Blaine both glared at her for the use of their less than flattering nicknames. “Sorry, Kurt and Blaine. Old habits die hard. I’m sorry for getting all up in your grill about your sex life. I’m not used to anyone wanting to keep that stuff private. And I’m a nosy bitch. I like sex, and I like details.”

“And that’s where you’re just going to have to deal with the fact that you’re not going to get details, Santana. Our relationship is private. You know as well as we do how homophobic McKinley and Lima in general are. We have to keep details under wraps to keep us both safe – being demonstrative about our sexuality hasn’t exactly worked well for either one of us in the past.” Blaine explained.

“You definitely need to tone it down, Santana,” said Kurt. “Not only for safety reasons, but for the fact that we view sex and intimacy very differently to the way you do. What we do together is between us, and we shouldn’t be harangued into sharing things that we don’t want to share. It’s private. For us only, and you need to respect that.” Santana nodded.

“And for what it’s worth, Santana,” Kurt continued. “I’m sorry for booby-trapping your body wash. I tried to get you to leave us alone, but it just wasn’t working. And sometimes you just have to fight fire with purple dye.”

“I will deny saying this, but well played, Hummel. Well played.” Kurt got up off the couch, went to Santana’s place on the floor, and wrapped his arms around her. Brittany and Blaine, neither one of which could ever resist a good hug, dog piled the two and had one big group hug.

Brittany and Santana gathered up their belongings and took their leave, and finally Kurt and Blaine were alone. Kurt immediately began picking up some of the mess strewn about the room, but before he could get very far, Blaine reached up and tugged on his arm, making him fall back down on the sofa next to Blaine.

“Leave it,” Blaine said somewhat forcefully, pulling Kurt as close to him as he could get.

“Ooof,” Kurt groaned as he fell into Blaine’s side. “What’s this all about?”

“Your mischievous side is a turn-on, Mr. Hummel.” Blaine snaked his hands up underneath the sides of Kurt’s shirt and tickled his ribcage, causing Kurt to shriek and jump away. Blaine chuckled and grabbed Kurt to pull him close again.

“No, really, Kurt,” he said softly. “We were in my bed together all night, and NOTHING. HAPPENED. There were too many would-be voyeurs around.”

“Not to mention you were really busy perfecting your Rip van Winkle impression,” Kurt said with a smirk.

“Irrelevant. What is _now_ relevant is that we’re alone, we’re at my house just feet away from my bedroom, and we have spent far too much time in each other’s presence without me being able to touch you thoroughly.”

Kurt tried to stifle an embarrassing “ungh” sound but was unsuccessful. Blaine stood up and picked Kurt up, Kurt immediately wrapping his legs around Blaine’s waist. Blaine stumbled towards the bedroom but accidently caught Kurt’s elbow on the doorframe.

“ _Oh my God,”_ Kurt whispered.

“Shit, Kurt! Are you okay, I’m so sorry!”

“Shh Blaine, no – it’s just… I kinda had an idea. Um, the wall?”

“What about the wall, honey? Did you dent it when I slammed you int… _oooohhhhh,”_  Blaine said as the lightbulb in his head flickered on. “You wanna… the wall, Kurt?”

Kurt bit his lip and looked at Blaine, nodding shyly.

“ _God_ , Kurt…”

“I know, I know, we should just go in your room like we were going to,” Kurt said.

“NO! Damn, Kurt, I was gonna say that sometimes you have the BEST ideas! But… the wall in my room is has less stuff on it, there will be more space. We should go in there.”

Without another word, Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and dragged him into his room. He “gently” body-slammed Blaine right into the wall and pressed himself up against Blaine, kissing him hungrily. His hands were already working quickly to unbutton his shirt. He ground his hips into Blaine intermittently as he worked.

“Holy shit, Kurt, you really want this, don’t you?”

“You have no idea…”

“On the contrary, I think I do,” Blaine said as he repeated Kurt’s move with his hips. He was only too eager to show Kurt that he in fact was in the exact same state as Kurt at that moment.

Blaine managed to remove Kurt’s shirt in record time. “You need to play pranks more often – it causes you to skip all the layers in favor of a quick getaway. Me gusta.”

“Yeah, well, you managed to fill in for me nicely – you’ve got all my buttons today, and I can’t… fucking… undo them fast enough!” Kurt was becoming slightly frantic with desire and Blaine put his hands over Kurt’s and gently pulled them away. Kurt had already unbuttoned enough of his buttons where he could just pull the garment over his head, which he did, tossing it unceremoniously to the floor before reaching out to pull Blaine to his chest and kiss him wetly.

Skin on skin contact was great, but they cut their time pressing their chests together short in favor of more quickly stripping the rest of their clothing. They each dropped their own pants and Blaine was naked in record time (he knew there was a reason he went commando), and he took a moment to appreciate how great Kurt looked in boxer briefs… and how well they were filled out.

“Take a picture, Anderson, it’ll last longer,” Kurt snarked.

“Not a chance. That is NOT a picture I want getting out by accident. This is a sight only I get to look at. My mental pictures… AND the real thing… are good enough!”

Without another word, Blaine reached over and grabbed their supplies out of his nightstand drawer. This was going to be fast, but he wasn’t planning on sacrificing any of their prep – ESPECIALLY if he ever wanted to have Kurt again.

He ordered Kurt, who was now leaning up against the wall stark naked, to spread his legs. Blaine dropped to his knees and took Kurt into his mouth while he slicked up his fingers and reached behind Kurt to circle a finger around his tight hole.

“Oh my God, Blaine – you are going to have to be really fast with this – I’m halfway to coming already!” Kurt groaned, wiggling his hips to encourage Blaine’s fingers to get on with it, to do _anything._ This was not the time for teasing.

Despite Kurt begging him not to tease, Blaine still managed to drive him absolutely insane by only lightly touching Kurt’s cock with tiny kitten licks and whisper soft touches with his fingertips.

“You are EVIL, Blaine. Fricking EVIL. Would you just get – “ Kurt’s whine was punctuated by a sharp shriek. Blaine had at that moment shoved three fingers all the way inside him. It took him by surprise, but after the initial burn, it felt good. REALLY good.

“Oh God, Blaine. I need you. Ugh, please fuck me now!”

Kurt still swore so rarely that just the sound of the word fuck in Kurt’s voice never failed to make Blaine impossibly more turned on. He pulled his fingers out of Kurt and stood up, grabbing the backs of Kurt’s thighs. Kurt helped him by jumping up a little, and soon Kurt was pressed against the wall with his arms around Blaine’s neck and his legs around his waist. Blaine lined himself up as carefully as he could with his arms full of Kurt and let Kurt slide down just enough to become impaled on Blaine’s cock.

“Holy shit,” both boys exclaimed in unison. Kurt’s hole squeezed Blaine tightly as if it was only Blaine’s cock that was holding him against the wall. Thrusting rapidly, Blaine knew that this was going to end even sooner than he thought.

“Kurt, touch yourself. I’m going to need your help if you’re going to get to come before I’m going to have to put you down.”

Kurt obeyed and sneaked a hand between their stomachs to grab his own erection and stroke it in time with Blaine’s thrusts. Every few moments, Kurt would slip just a little bit farther down the wall and gravity would push him down on Blaine’s cock just that little bit more. It would change the angle, so that soon Blaine rubbing against Kurt’s prostate was a constant thing rather than just a lucky occurrence.

“Blaine, I’m almost there,” Kurt managed to squeak out.

“Well thank fuck for that,” Blaine grunted.

A few moments more and Kurt succumbed to his orgasm, leaning forward and biting Blaine on the collar bone as he did so. Surprised at the sharp burst of pain, Blaine was done for as well. He stiffened and pressed Kurt into the wall while he shuddered his way through his climax, trying desperately not to collapse under Kurt’s weight with his diminished strength.

Kurt let his legs fall to the floor and slid down the wall until he sat on the floor on top of his feet. Blaine dramatically fell backwards onto his bed, panting exaggeratedly until Kurt began to giggle.

“Blaine, I know it was good, but you’re going to hyperventilate if you keep that up!” Kurt grinned.

“I know, but what a way to go, right?” Blaine smiled back.

Kurt peeled himself up off the floor and crawled onto the bed next to Blaine snuggling into him.

“By the way, happy birthday, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too, Blaine. Thank you for helping make this birthday a great one.”

“I hope to celebrate all of your birthdays with you.”

“Don’t worry, you will,” Kurt said confidently, remembering his birthday candle wish. After all, those birthday wishes always came true… right?


	44. Chapter 44

“Blaine, sweetheart, you know I love you to the ends of the Earth and back, but I swear on everything that is holy, including my favorite Doc Martens, that if you don’t stop singing that god forsaken Rebecca Black song RIGHT NOW, I’m going to hang you from the bumper of the Navigator by your TOENAILS and you can ride the rest of the way there that way.”

It was amazing how the two hour drive from Lima to Columbus could all of a sudden feel like six when a song about Friday and not being able to choose a seat in a car invaded your very existence.

“But Kurt, it’s so catchy and provides opportunities for awesome harmonies!”

Kurt scoffed and gave Blaine the fiercest “bitch, PLEASE” look he could muster. Blaine LOVED riling up his boyfriend. Truthfully, he couldn’t stand the song either, but the potential for annoying the hell out of Kurt was endless and therefore worth every bit of suffering he put himself through.

Kurt handed Blaine his phone. “Make yourself useful and navigate for me, please? The GPS on here will talk to me, but the voice is ALMOST as aggravating as that damn song you’re attached to. I’d much rather hear your voice.”

“I love hearing your voice too. Maybe we should sing something 'til we get there.”

“We’re always singing in the car.”

“No, we’re always REHEARSING in the car. Let’s face it, all we’ve sung together in the car lately is rehearsed for auditions for Nationals. Let’s sing something FUN together!”

“Okay, you’ve got a point. What did you have in mind?”

_Seven a.m., waking up in the morning_

_Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs_

“BLAINE!!” Kurt yelled, and Blaine bent over laughing. Kurt smacked him on the shoulder, and just as he did, Blaine swore loudly.

“SHIT!”

“Oh my God, I’m sorry Blaine, did I hurt you? I didn’t think I hit you that hard…”

“No, it’s just that we missed our turn. You have to turn around now!”

Kurt moved to make a u-turn in a nearby intersection when Blaine changed his mind. “No, no, I was reading this thing wrong. We’re still going the right way. No… wait… um, no, we should be going east here, not west. Oh we ARE going east, never mind.”

“Blaine, maybe we should pull over and I should take a look.”

“No no, I’ve got it, I’ve got it. Oh crap, Kurt, you need to take this turn, RIGHT HERE!”

Kurt reacted quickly and cranked the vehicle into such a sharp turn that he nearly rolled the vehicle. As soon as he cleared the turn and could pull over safely, he guided the car onto a side road.

“That’s IT! Give me the damn phone.” Kurt fiddled around with the phone, eventually switching it to a different mode so he could get a better look at the map. “Dammit Blaine! We’re twenty minutes out of our way in the wrong direction. No wonder you had no idea where you were going! I almost crashed us for nothing!”

Blaine looked sheepish. “I’m sorry. I suppose I should’ve mentioned that I’m still no better at reading maps than I ever was?”

“Yeah, that might’ve been handy to tell me BEFORE I gave you the GPS,” Kurt grumbled.

He reset the GPS and turned the voice commands back on before docking his phone in the console and setting about getting them straightened out and back in the right direction again. After he pulled back on the highway and they were safely on their way again, Blaine put his hand on Kurt’s thigh and sweetly said, “I love you, Kurt.”

“I love you too, Blaine, but I swear you make me work for it some days!”

“That’s what makes it better, though.”

Blaine had a point.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, though the boys had switched to holding hands across the middle console for the remaining drive. Kurt turned onto a small, semi-hidden drive that wound its way through about a quarter mile of trees before it ended in a clearing with a beautiful, huge log cabin-style lodge just outside of the outskirts of Columbus.

“Wow, this is incredible,” Kurt breathed.

“You got that right,” Blaine agreed.

They got out of the car and just stood, still holding hands, staring at the trees and the beauty around them. Blaine tipped his head onto Kurt’s shoulder, and Kurt dropped Blaine’s hand in favor of wrapping his arm around Blaine’s waist. Blaine snuggled into Kurt and turned his face so they could kiss. Their kiss had just started to become a little heated when he heard a loud voice call out, “WELCOME!”

Kurt and Blaine instinctively jumped apart and blushed, looking shyly at the source of the voice.

“Hell, don’t stop on my account. Remember, gay is GOOD here!”

Kurt and Blaine grinned and came back together for a quick kiss before heading towards the man on the steps.

“That’s more like it!” The man held out his hand for them to shake. “My name is Scott, and I’m co-owner of this place. My partner, Michael, is in the office doing some paperwork. I’m in charge of guest relations, and he’s in charge of everything from advertising to buying the toilet paper for the bathrooms. Come on in, we’ll get you all checked in and then I’ll show you to your room.”

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in amusement. They liked Scott already – he was an absolute trip. They were also excited to be able to show affection for each other in a public (well, semi-public) place without constantly having to look over their shoulders to see who might be watching.

Scott pulled up their reservation on his computer. “Looks like everything was paid for in advance by a Mr. Burt Hummel, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s my dad.”

“You guys can’t be any more than eighteen,” Scott remarked.

“Just turned. This getaway was my birthday present.”

“Let me get this straight… oh bad pun… So, your dad gave you a trip with your boyfriend, without supervision, for your birthday?” Kurt nodded. “That’s fucking amazing, ooh pardon my language.”

“Best dad ever,” Kurt bragged.

“That’s awesome. I don’t always run into people who have such great support from their families. What about you?” Scott asked Blaine.

Figurative thunderclouds immediately crossed Blaine’s face. “Biggest asshole on Earth. Kurt’s dad was more of a dad to me in five minutes than my own was my entire life. I’ve been disowned from my family and unofficially adopted into Kurt’s. His dad refers to me as his third son.”

Scott reached out and hugged Blaine with one arm around his shoulders. “Well, it sounds like you’ve fallen in with the right family. Not to mention you two are so gorgeous I can barely stand it.” He clapped his hands together. “Well, go grab your bags and I’ll show you your room. There aren’t many people here at this time of year – you’re here a bit before the season – so you can stay in whatever room you want, but I recommend the room with the two seater bay window overlooking the trees – I could sit there and stare at the wildlife that comes by for hours, and it’s perfect for cuddling, too.”

“Sounds fabulous. We’ll take you up on your recommendation,” Kurt decided. “Come on sweetie, let’s go get our stuff so we can get settled in.”

They hurried out to the Navigator and gathered their belongings. Blaine only had a small suitcase, so he had to carry the two smaller of Kurt’s four bags. When they were loading the car earlier, Blaine had pointed out that they were only staying for the weekend, and who knew if Blaine would even let Kurt leave the room *wink wink nudge nudge*, but Kurt merely glared at Blaine, and Blaine finished loading Kurt’s bags without another word. He knew when to cut his losses, and that had been “that time.”

Scott caught one look at the ratty, dilapidated bag Blaine was carrying and said, “Oh honey, you guys are definitely NOT married yet, are you?”

Blaine looked at him in confusion, but somehow, Kurt knew EXACTLY what Scott was getting at. “I know, right? I kept trying to get him to toss out that hideous old thing and borrow something of mine, but he insisted.”

Scott and Kurt had a good laugh at that. “I know what you mean. My man is quite stubborn as well. Oh well, I’m sure you’ll fix it by putting a good luggage set on your wedding registry, am I right?”

“But of course!” Kurt assured him, but Blaine was no longer paying attention. He got a thrill up his spine every time anyone mentioned a wedding or them getting married. He knew they were too young and it was too soon, but he always had proposal ideas in the back of his head, and he occasionally wondered when it WOULD be the right time.

“Earth to Blaine!” Kurt called from several feet ahead of him, already heading up the stairs behind Scott to their room. “Hurry up! You’ve got the bag with my hair products – I need to re-fluff when we get to the room!”

Shaking his head, Blaine obediently followed Kurt. This would be an interesting weekend.

**xXxXxXx**

“Scott’s recommendation to take this room was spot on – this bay window seat is absolutely fantastic,” Kurt sighed happily, sprawled out in said window.

From the bed, Blaine had to agree. “And this bed is amazing. I don’t think I’ve slept on anything that was more comfortable and smelled better. Except maybe you,” he said, grinning.

“You, my dear, are such a dork,” Kurt said, shaking his head but with a matching smile on his face. He turned to stare out the window again. “You know, I can see what looks like a great walking path through the trees. You wanna head out for a walk while it’s still light out?”

“As long as it was with you, I’d probably be happy to scoop up elephant dung, so this sounds like an improvement.”

Kurt’s jaw dropped slightly and he stared at Blaine. “You’re weird,” he stated. “But, as it happens, I’m good with weird.” He got up off the window seat and extended a hand to Blaine on the bed. “Shall we?”

Blaine grasped Kurt’s hand and replied, “We shall.” Kurt pulled him off the bed and into his arms where they briefly kissed and broke apart to get ready for their walk.

When they had their walking shoes on and were appropriately attired, they raced each other down the stairs to the lobby, playfully shoving each other out of the way and giggling.

“I love it when we get young couples here,” said a voice. Kurt and Blaine startled slightly and turned to face a man who had just popped out of the office. “There are always so many cute moments to witness. Hi, I’m Michael, Scott’s partner both in business and in life. Since we only have two guests right now, you MUST be Kurt and Blaine.”

“You must be right. I’m Blaine, he’s Kurt.”

“Great to meet you. Where are you from?”

Kurt answered, “We’re from Lima,” wrinkling his nose as he said it.

“Ahhh, Lima. I’ve heard it sucks to be guys like us living there.”

Kurt chuckled humorlessly. “Needless to say, as soon as we graduate, Blaine and I are heading off to New York.”

“OOH You’re going to love it there. I used to live there – I still miss it, but Scott just sees it as a place to visit and not to live. Plus it’s expensive as hell to live there. So, since I would literally do _anything_ for that man, we came and set up shop here. But he indulges me with a trip every other year or so, so it works for us.”

“Well, I guess we know who to ask whenever we have questions about New York!”

“Anytime, guys, any time at all. I absolutely love New York and I’m happy to talk your ear off about it. Anyway, what are you guys up to?” Michael asked.

“Well, we’re about to explore that path we saw from the window in our room. Anything we need to know about it?”

Michael thought for a moment. “No, not really. The path is perfectly safe – we don’t get anything more ‘threatening’ than deer back here, and the path is well marked. Just keep an eye on the sun and come back when it starts to set. Like I say, it’s safe, but the sun goes down faster than you’d think, and it gets DARK back there. The moonlight does not filter through the trees much.”

“Thanks for the warning. We were just thinking of strolling around a bit until dinner,” Kurt said.

“Will you be joining Scott and me for dinner tonight?”

Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other and nodded. “Yes, I do believe we will. It’s been a really long week at school and we’re just kind of wanting to unwind. We’ll save our energy for tomorrow.”

Blaine looked at Kurt and raised an eyebrow. “Save our energy for EXPLORING COLUMBUS tomorrow, not THAT. Geez, you horn dog!” Kurt scolded.

Michael and Blaine laughed at Kurt’s scandalized face. “Okay, guys, dinner’s at 5:30, we’ll plan for you guys to join us. See you then!”

Michael went back into his office and left Kurt and Blaine to their own devices. “Do I need to even mention how nice it is to be US around someone other than our friends and family without having to worry about anything?” asked Kurt.

“It really is. I’m looking forward to heading into Columbus tomorrow. I don’t know what all we should do, but just knowing that being gay isn’t an anomaly there like it is in Lima should make a world of difference. I hate walking down the street or through the mall without holding your hand. I hate having to whisper I love you instead of saying it loud enough where you don’t have to ask me what I just said. And I REALLY hate having to shake off slurs that I can just barely hear being said about us behind our backs. I will never, EVER miss those things about Lima.”

Kurt sighed. “Me neither.” Together, Kurt and Blaine walked around to the back of the bed and breakfast and located the trail they had seen out the window. When they reached it, they linked their arms together and grabbed the other’s hand so they were connected together along their entire sides. It was the closest they could get to each other while still being able to move freely.

“I will definitely miss my family terribly, though. I haven’t been away from my dad for longer than a couple of days since I was born. When I was a little boy, I was pretty attached to my mother and they weren’t able to pry me away from her for long enough for an extended trip to Grandma’s or anything. I know it made things tough for my parents since I never let them get much time alone, but now that I look back on it, I’m kind of glad it happened that way. My mother’s life was cut so short; me being clingy ended up with us having a lot of family time,” Kurt confided.

Blaine pulled Kurt extra close and squeezed him tight. “Tell me about her?”

Kurt smiled softly, getting lost in a memory. “She was so beautiful, Blaine. I got her hair color and her eyes, and many of her delicate features, but on her they were absolutely stunning. I just loved to look at her. Her eyes sparkled almost all the time. She loved her life. Dad told me that she had always wanted to be a mom. She told him that no matter what else happened in her life, she wanted children. Didn’t matter to her how she got them, whether they were biologically hers or a child who needed a home of their very own – she wanted them. After a couple of years of trying, she was almost ready to look into adoption, but then I came along.

“Dad said that she was absolutely obsessed during her pregnancy with me. She read all the books and bought all the things in the baby stores and did everything she heard of that made sense to her, and that was allowed by her doctor, to ensure she had a healthy pregnancy. Even with all she did, she still developed preeclampsia with me and I had to come a little early, which devastated her. I was a bit small, but I didn’t have to stay in the hospital for much longer than babies with a normal birth, so that soothed her considerably.

“When I was two, my parents decided to try for another child, but my mother wasn’t conceiving. She was concerned about secondary infertility or something – this was a couple of years ago that Dad told me all this so the information is a bit fuzzy – so she went to the doctor and they did some tests. And that’s when they discovered the cancer…” Kurt trailed off.

“She had to have a complete hysterectomy, and she was pretty sick with the treatment they gave her. I remember sitting on the couch a lot, watching TV curled up into her while she slept. Finally the treatment appeared to work and she felt better for awhile. She again started thinking about adoption and even got as far as scheduling an appointment with a case worker. But when she went back to her doctor for a follow up scan, she thought she was going to be told she was in remission. Instead, she was told that the cancer had spread to several organs and was progressing quickly. I don’t remember how long it was between that doctor visit and the day she passed, but it wasn’t very long. She went downhill really, really fast. I had just turned eight.”

“Oh Kurt, you must have been heartbroken.”

They stopped walking when they had reached the end of the path. There was a small lookout point there with a bench. Blaine steered Kurt to the bench and sat him down, sitting down himself once Kurt was settled. Kurt immediately slumped and rested his head on Blaine’s shoulder.

“I really was. You know how much I love my dad. He’s pretty much the best man in the world. And he loves me just as much. But this was my _mom._ My dad didn’t _get_ tea parties and dress up clothes and dolls, though he did try with everything he had to relate to me. But with Mom, it just clicked with her. I was such a mama’s boy.

“I had to grow up so fast after she died, though. My dad was pretty useless at household chores. Luckily for him, I was already a rather fastidious child who couldn’t stand messes and things out of their places, so I stepped up to do a lot of the cleaning. And Dad can’t cook for the life of him. He found it best to just let me putz around with food in the kitchen while he supervised to make sure all my fingers stayed attached and my skin stayed burn-free. Eventually, with the help of a simple cookbook, I had more successes than failures and we ate fairly decent after awhile. I think we did okay for ourselves. But with Carole and Finn around, I think the Hummels are now complete.” Kurt paused a moment to smile at Blaine. “And with you around, Kurt is complete.”

Blaine looked at Kurt with love on his face. Truthfully, he couldn’t really look at Kurt any other way but with love. Even if he was annoyed with Kurt, it was still annoyance on top of love.

“I wish she was still here, though I don’t regret Carole and Finn being a part of my family at all. I just wish you two could’ve met.”

“Would she have accepted you being gay?”

“Oh honey, she KNEW I was gay. Dad told me once that for my third birthday, all I wanted was a pair of sensible heels. If that didn’t scream flaming homosexual, I’m not sure what would have. But the answer is yes. Even if she hadn’t known right away, there is no way she could have NOT accepted me. It simply wasn’t in her nature to disapprove of such a thing.”

“Would she have liked me?”

“Absolutely. You know, I never told you this, but not long before I snuck into Dalton, I went to visit my mom at the cemetery. You know how unhappy I was at that time. I told her everything that had happened, and I remember saying to her, ‘All I want is for someone to understand me and to like me for who I am.’ A couple days later, you and I were both on the stairway at Dalton. This is the weird part, though. I felt a presence almost compelling me to speak. I had just planned on following people around, but it was as if this presence was trying to point me in your direction. You had just reached the bottom of the steps and were about to trot away to the senior commons when I felt a sharp pain in my ribs, like someone had poked me. It was then that I blurted out ‘Excuse me,’ and you turned, and my life changed. I really believe my mom was there. I feel like she picked you out for me.”

Blaine was silent for a moment, and then he clasped his hands together and looked up toward the sky. “Thank you Mrs. Hummel!” he called. Moments later, a huge gust of wind surprised them. It would’ve taken Kurt’s hat off his head had he not had lightning-fast reflexes and grabbed it before it could get away from him. The strange part was, it hadn’t been windy at all before that. Not even a light breeze.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other incredulously. “You don’t think…?” Kurt asked.

“I don’t know,” Blaine said carefully, “but that was awfully coincidental.” Kurt simply nodded.

They looked at the clocks on their cell phones and decided that if they were going to make it to dinner with the B&B owners, they would need to head back. Before they left, they stood on the path embracing, just holding each other silently. The silence accompanied them on their walk back as well, but the nice thing about Kurt and Blaine was that long silences were not awkward between them. Just being in each other’s presence was enough for them; neither one of them felt the need to fill the air with banal chatter.

They re-entered the little inn and ran into Scott as they were about to head upstairs for dinner.

“Ahh, I was just looking for you. Dinner’s almost ready. What’s the matter? You boys look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”

“We might have,” Kurt said cryptically.

“We’re just going to go up and change and then we’ll be downstairs to join you,” Blaine added.

Scott appraised them carefully and said, “Okay. We’ll see you in the dining room in a few, then.”

Blaine placed a guiding hand on the small of Kurt’s back and followed him up the steps. Kurt did not seem to be propelled under his own power; he appeared to be in somewhat of a daze, which Blaine was determined to get to the bottom of, as soon as he got them back to their room.

When they stepped into their room, Kurt seemed to snap out of it enough to change his shoes and freshen up without being told. As soon as he was ready, he crawled onto the bed and laid in the fetal position. Blaine immediately crawled up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, placing his chin on Kurt’s shoulder.

“I just miss her so much, Blaine. It’s been ten years, but never once have I thought to myself, it’s easier now. It hasn’t gotten easier. Everyone says it does. I feel like there’s something wrong with me because it hasn’t gotten easier.”

Blaine gently rolled Kurt over to face him. “Nothing is wrong with you. The people who said it gets easier may not have had as strong and as deep of a relationship with their loved one as you did with your mom. Or they might just be better at pretending it doesn’t bother them. There’s no right or wrong way or length of time to grieve. The pain is just what ensures that you’ll never forget.”

“I won’t ever forget my mom. I remember how soft her hair was, I remember how much her eyes sparkled when I’d come home from school and give her a hug, I even remember how she smelled.” Kurt sighed and looked lovingly at Blaine. “She would have adored you, you know. Well, she would’ve loved anyone that I was head over heels for, that treated me well, but I think she would’ve especially loved you. I don’t know how to explain why. I think it’s just the magic that is Blaine Anderson that would have sold her on you.”

Blaine smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that. I’ve had enough of parental disapproval to last me two lifetimes. Even if she’s not around anymore, it would’ve sucked to hear that she wouldn’t have approved of me.”

“Honey, your pare - … um, those folks who conceived you and gave birth to you… are idiots. Those who wouldn’t approve of you are in the vast minority.”

“I know. And it really helps to have Burt and Carole around to help me remember that.” Blaine pulled his cell phone out of his watch and looked at the time. “Oops, we’re a little late. We should get downstairs for dinner.”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed. “I’m feeling a little better than I did when we first walked in.”

“Thanks for telling me about your mom. I always want to know anything about you that you’ll tell me.” Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand, pulled him off the bed, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He then hooked their arms together and led Kurt downstairs to the dining room.

 


	45. Chapter 45

 “There you are! We were beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about us. If I hadn’t caught you boys looking so shell-shocked when you walked in earlier, I would’ve thought you found something better to do,” Scott joked.

“Yeah, wasn’t exactly in the mood for that. Can’t guarantee our feelings later though.” Michael had joined Scott and all four laughed.

“Seriously, though, what was up with earlier?”

“We’re pretty sure Kurt’s late mother tried to make some sort of contact with us out in the woods.”

“Holy cow, are you serious? No wonder you looked at me funny when I asked if you had seen a ghost. You kinda did!”

“It was definitely a bit unnerving,” added Kurt. “Luckily my mother would never have been anything other than an extremely friendly spirit, but it was still kind of weird that maybe, just maybe, we had gotten a message from someone who’s been gone for ten years.”

“She have anything interesting to say?” Michael asked.

“Based on Blaine’s and my conversation, I think she was telling us she approved and was happy with my choice of partner. And complimenting herself on her matchmaking skills.”

Kurt, Blaine, Michael, and Scott spent the next hour at the dinner table. The food was delicious, but it was the conversation that they were craving. They talked about New York – Michael and Scott’s experiences there, and the dreams that Kurt and Blaine hoped to fulfill. They moved on to growing up in a homophobic town – turns out Scott came from a town even smaller and more cruel to gays than Lima. Finally they spoke of Kurt and Blaine’s plans for the rest of the weekend.

“There’s some sort of art fair in Columbus tomorrow,” Scott offered. “It’s small – the bigger ones come more towards summer since weather is still cool and unpredictable at this time of year – but you should have fun. There’s a bit of live entertainment and typical fair-type junk food as well. Nothing special, but it’s something to do.”

“That will be fun,” said Kurt, addressing Blaine. “I still need to find the perfect graduation gifts for my girls – maybe I’ll find something there.”

After a few more minutes of small talk, Michael and Scott began to clear the dinner table. “Going out tonight, or staying in?”

“Definitely staying in,” Blaine answered. “We’ll probably just hang around and watch a movie on my laptop or something.”

“We did light a fire in the fireplace in the library. You might enjoy sitting in there and curling up with a good book. We have a pretty nice stash. New, old, kids, adults – I think we’ve got pretty much every genre represented,” Michael said.

“That’s actually an excellent idea. It’s been a long time since I actually got to sit down with a book of my own choosing that wasn’t required for school. All those damn honors classes tend to dictate what you read for several years of your life.” Blaine wrinkled his nose at the mere thought of school.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even KNOW what I’m reading now,” Kurt said. “It’s all so mundane.”

“Well, go pick something fun, then. You’re here to relax. Stay downstairs as long as you want, but if there’s anything you need, make sure you let us know before 10pm, as that’s when we officially go off duty except for emergencies. Kitchen’s through here – grab snacks or beverages later if you need them.”

“Sounds great, thanks guys!” Kurt and Blaine thanked them enthusiastically.

They made their way to the library, and after a moment of admiring the cozy furniture and loaded bookshelves, they began to peruse the collection for their nighttime reading.

“Man, there’s tons of great stuff here. Narnia, Tolkien, The Wizard of Oz… hey, look! Shel Silverstein! I think my very most favorite poem is Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.” Blaine grinned, obviously thinking about happier times in his childhood.

“I love The Giving Tree. Much as I love his individual poetry, the story behind The Giving Tree is one of my favorites.”

“I can see why. You’re kind of the giving tree yourself, Kurt. You give until you have nothing left to give.”

“I’ll always have something left to give. I never run out of love for you.”

Blaine looked at Kurt with hearts in his eyes. “That was beautiful, Kurt. Also cheesy. When did we become these sappy-ass romantics?”

“Pretty sure since the second we got together.” Blaine and Kurt both laughed and continued perusing the library for their evening reading.

“Oooh, score!” Kurt called out as he pulled a copy of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_ off the shelf.

Blaine grabbed for the book. “Gimme!”

“Not so fast, babe. This was my find!”

Blaine pouted. “Do they have any others?”

Kurt checked the shelf he got _Sorcerer’s Stone_ from. “No, sorry honey. Looks like this is the only Harry Potter book they have.”

Blaine sighed exaggeratedly and went back to the shelves. Kurt was going to torture him some more, but Blaine pasted on his puppy dog face while he browsed, and no one could resist the puppy dog face.

“Of course there’s only one way to solve this problem. We must read the book together. C’mon, sweetheart.” Kurt reached out to Blaine and grabbed his hand, leading him to an overstuffed armchair right by the fire. He pushed Blaine into the seat and placed himself delicately on Blaine’s lap. Blaine’s arms immediately wrapped around his waist and grabbed him tightly. “Did you know that when I turned eleven, I looked out the window every day to see if there was an owl waiting to deliver my letter from Hogwarts?”

Blaine laughed. “I can just picture that – young Kurt hanging out the window looking for his own personal Hedwig. I actually did the same thing, believe it or not.”

“I would be less likely to believe you if you told me you hadn’t. I bet you had the whole robe, glasses, wand, and fake scar tattoo getup, didn’t you?”

Blaine looked slightly embarrassed. “You know me far too well.”

“You are absolutely adorable. It’s a sweet mental picture.” Kurt grabbed the book and turned it to the first page. “Now, we’ll read out loud, but we’ll take turns so neither one of our voices gets too tired, okay?”

“Did I ever tell you that you have the best ideas?”

“Probably, but it’s not like this is new information, anyway,” Kurt said with a smirk.

Curled up together in the chair, they each read a page at a time, switching back and forth, and they both had fun voicing the characters whenever they spoke. Kurt made a surprisingly good Hagrid, and Blaine excelled at making the Dursleys sound even more unlikable than they already were.

They read until they began to nod off. Blaine finished a page a couple chapters into the book and was about to tell Kurt that he was absolutely done for and couldn’t read anymore, but sometime between then and his last page, Kurt had fallen asleep. Blaine set the book down on the side table next to him and shifted slightly to get more comfortable, his movement barely a blip on Kurt’s radar. He merely snuggled into Blaine more closely. Blaine took a moment to appreciate the beauty of Kurt sleeping, the firelight flickering shadows across his cheeks. He could stare at Kurt forever – well, forever UNLESS he was exhausted himself. He gave up the charade and closed his eyes; it took no more than a couple of minutes for Blaine to doze off.

Michael and Scott, getting ready to close up the inn for the night, came into the library to put out the fire in the fireplace before heading off to bed. They stopped in the doorway when they saw the two boys in the chair, snuggled up together fast asleep.

“They’re so beautiful together. They remind me of us,” said Michael.

“I hope they never lose the magic of each other,” Scott said. “It would be a crime for what they appear to have now to just fade away.”

Michael attended the fire while Scott set about gently waking the boys up. “Hey guys, wake up. This chair is okay for a couple of hours, but you two aren’t going to be able to move if you stay here all night.”

Blaine was the first to regain coherency and softly stroked Kurt’s cheek. “Wake up, baby. We’ve gotta go to bed.”

“Mmm… why wake up to go to sleep? Can’t we just stay asleep?”

“Change of venue, sweets. Get up, let’s go.”

“You go ‘head wi-out me…” Kurt mumbled, still mostly asleep.

“No can do. You’re still sitting on me. In order to get up, I’ll have to dump you to the floor, and that means you might as well get up anyway.”

“Blaaaaaaaine, why you so mean to me?”

“Don’t make me start withholding, Kurt,” Blaine said in a faux stern voice. He looked over his shoulder at Scott and Michael, who were looking on amusedly, and winked.

“Mmm, all right, all right, I’m up, don’t have kittens,” Kurt grumbled. He got up off of Blaine’s lap and headed across the room. However, he was rather bleary eyed and ran into a wall, and it took Blaine everything in his power not to laugh. “What the hell? There should be a door here.”

Michael and Scott, Blaine noticed, had left the room, presumably to have their laughs at Kurt’s expense out of his earshot. “Hold still for a minute and wake up, babe. You may find that there’s a good reason there’s not a door where you expect one to be.”

Kurt rubbed his eyes and looked around. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “We’re at the bed and breakfast. Oh god! They didn’t see me, did they?”

“Weeeeellllll,” Blaine drawled out.

“Oh crap, they did! And they probably left to go laugh at me. Oh god, I’m so embarrassed!”

“Shhh, it’s okay babe. They’ve been running this place for a long time. I’m sure you’re not the first person that they’ve seen that got disoriented being away from home.”

“Yeah, and you’re not even the first person we’ve seen mistake a wall for a door!” Scott chimed in, reappearing in the doorway with Michael.

Kurt buried his face in the crook of Blaine’s shoulder. “ _Fuck me_ ,” he garbled out.

“Damn, he’s REALLY embarrassed – he just swore. He doesn’t DO that.”

“Please bring extra sheets to our room so I can tie them into a rope and use it to crawl out the window. Then I can make my escape without ever having to show my face around here again.”

“Awww Kurt, it’s okay, hon. Really. Let’s just go up to bed and you’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Yeah I’ll feel better…. Until I wake up and remember my embarrassment.”

“Oh Kurt, it’s no big deal. Cute as you getting all confuzzled was, it wasn’t even a drop in the bucket as far as stories worthy of repeating for generations. Remind me to tell you some stories of former guests that will have you laughing your ass off and feeling pretty normal.”

Kurt nodded slowly, his forehead still stinging a bit from making contact with the wall. “Okay. But as long as I don’t become a legend in this place or anything.”

“As long as we don’t have to call a locksmith to let you out of a pair of handcuffs attaching you to the bed because your man forgot the key at home, you won’t,” Michael said, winking.

Kurt’s jaw dropped. “That really happened??” he asked incredulously.

“Scout’s honor!” said Scott, “And I promise, I really was a scout!”

Blaine just stood, looking thoughtful.

“Oh crap, he’s thinking about buying handcuffs,” Kurt said. “NO! Bad Blaine. Bad!” he scolded.

All four men laughed, and Blaine and Kurt excused themselves to go upstairs to their room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Blaine placed both hands on Kurt’s shoulders and held him still. “Are you okay, baby?”

“Yeah, my embarrassment has faded, and so has the throbbing in my head from smacking myself into the wall.”

Blaine looked at Kurt’s eyes. Satisfied nothing was amiss, he nodded. “Okay sweetheart. Let’s get ourselves to bed.”

They stripped down to just their underwear and brushed their teeth together. Blaine gave Kurt a quick peck on the lips and promised to warm up the bed for them while Kurt performed an abbreviated version of his skin care regimen. Blaine didn’t think such a strict routine was necessary, but Kurt maintained that it was BECAUSE of his attention to his skin’s health that he looked as good as he did. Blaine wasn’t about to contradict, so he cheerfully indulged Kurt.

Blaine curled up under the covers and lay humming to himself for about ten minutes before Kurt finally emerged from the bathroom. He fluffed up his pillow before sliding underneath the covers. His skin had barely made contact with the bedding before Blaine’s arms reached out and dragged Kurt closer to him. He ran his fingers over Kurt’s cheeks.

“Mmmm, smooth as a baby’s – “

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Blaine Anderson. I refused to be compared to the rear end of an infant.”

Blaine chuckled. “Touché. It feels amazing, though.”

“It better. The stuff I use costs a couple figurative arms and legs for and comes straight from Italy. It takes so long to get here that I’m pretty sure they ship it via aged mules swimming across the Atlantic. I learned quickly that I have to order the next batch as soon as one shipment arrives just so there is no awkward lag time in between.” Kurt sat up in bed and looked down at Blaine while he continued speaking. “Once it took a whole WEEK after I ran out for my replacement products to arrive, and do you know what happened? DO. YOU. KNOW. WHAT. HAPPENED. BLAINE??”

Blaine didn’t know if he should be a little scared or if he should laugh his butt off at the strange look on Kurt’s face.

“Um… no?” Blaine said carefully.

“I got a pimple, Blaine. A PIMPLE!!”

“Oh Kurt, I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as all that…”

“IT WAS ON THE TIP OF MY NOSE, BLAINE. And it was near Christmas. It took SIX DAYS for people to stop singing the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song to me!”

 _Okay, “a little scared” was the right route to go,_ Blaine thought. _Laughing now would get my ass kicked right back downstairs to that chair in the library._

“Well, aren’t you going to say anything, Blaine?”

“You want the truth?”

“Of course I want the truth. We always tell each other exactly what we think.”

“Well, what I’m thinking right now is, I refuse to comment because I like my balls attached to my groin and not chopped off and shoved down my throat, which is what I’m afraid any answer, no matter what it is, will get me. Look at you, you’re still so upset by that situation that you’re panting like you just had a humongous orgasm, and neither one of us got any enjoyment out of it!”

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment with his jaw dropped. Then he closed his mouth and laughed to himself. “I guess I AM a little bit crazy when the future of my skin is threatened.”

“Well, yeah, but regardless of how crazy you can get over such things, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You make my life interesting, babe!”

“I guess everyone needs a little crazy in their lives, huh?”

“Everyone also needs a little SLEEP in their lives, too, Kurt.” He reached up and pulled on Kurt’s arm to urge him to lie back down. Repositioning himself to lay behind Kurt as he had been before, he softly whispered in Kurt’s ear, “Sweet dreams. I love you.”

Kurt cranked his head around to make contact with Blaine’s lips for a kiss, which he held for a short time before his neck began protesting the sharp angle it was positioned in. “Good night, Blaine. I love you too.”

**xXxXxXx**

After sleeping in, spending a brief but _particularly enjoyable_ time together in the shower, and hurriedly getting dressed for the day, the boys joined Michael and Scott for a late breakfast in the kitchen. Neither man was all that skilled in making breakfast food, so they were happy to have Kurt join them for the meal preparation. After Kurt had flipped out four fabulous custom omelets, the four sat around the table and discussed Kurt and Blaine’s plans for the day.

“The art fair will not take you all day. If this were summer and it was one of the bigger ones, it would, but this one will take a couple hours at most. If you are going to venture into town, you might want to have a few other ideas in mind.”

“I can’t imagine that we won’t be able to entertain ourselves in Columbus. If all else fails, there has got to be a mall or a movie theater, or God forbid, a bowling alley around somewhere.”

Blaine sputtered out a laugh at the way Kurt shuddered when he said bowling alley. Kurt had nothing against bowling per se – his harsh opinions had everything to do with hideous rented shoes.

“Oh you know what?” Scott said excitedly. “You guys HAVE to try this awesome bakery downtown. They specialize in brownies and blondies. It’s called Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties and it’s just divine!”

“That place sounds familiar… oh wait, wasn’t that the place that won a throwdown against Bobby Flay?” Blaine wondered.

“That’s the one!”

“God I hate that pompous prick – I love watching his ass get handed to him,” said Kurt.

“We should go, Kurt!” Blaine said, bouncing in his seat at the table.

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked at Michael and Scott. “You just HAD to suggest a place with nothing but sugar, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know, Kurt. I kinda like it when Scott gets hyped up on sugar,” Michael confided. “It makes things more interesting later, if you get what I’m saying.”

Kurt thought for a split second and then said, “Okay, but we’re not buying any more than you can eat while we’re here, Blaine. If Finn finds out we have gourmet brownies, he will practically hump me to get at them, and I can’t even begin to express how awkward that would be.”

The other three men laughed heartily. “I swear, he changes his mind so fast sometimes that he needs a turn signal to warn me,” Blaine said.

 “Eh, you love me anyway.”

“Yep, sure do,” Blaine agreed and gave Kurt a sweet Eskimo kiss.

Michael and Scott gave Kurt and Blaine directions to Sugardaddy’s (which ironically was on Gay Street – they all had a laugh at that one) and a few other restaurants that they thought the boys might enjoy, as well as vintage music and clothing shops that they would both have fun digging through. Kurt groaned, thinking that he would never get Blaine out of the music shop. Blaine’s head popped up when he heard the groan, obviously thinking Kurt meant something other than he did by that sound. Kurt shook his head and gestured downward with his hand like he was saying “Down boy.” Blaine’s shoulders dropped and he pouted; Kurt merely grinned.

Finally they left the bed and breakfast to begin their day. They had tried to help with cleanup but the owners refused, citing the fact that Kurt had actually made breakfast was already above and beyond what they would expect a guest to do. They hopped in Kurt’s car and sat back to enjoy the ride without the benefit, and disruption, of music.

“So, you having a good time so far, Blaine?”

“You know that every moment I get to spend with you is a good time, Kurt. But yes, I am having fun. Michael and Scott are a trip, and I love the place. I can’t believe your dad did so well picking the place out. Hell, I still can’t believe he did this for you in the first place.”

“Us, Blaine. We’re BOTH his sons, remember?”

“Sometimes I have a hard time remembering that, but yes, I do know that. Still. Most dads wouldn’t be like, here boys, have a nice place to go have sex. It’s on me.”

“He’s not encouraging it, he’s just admitting that it’s happened and that it’s inevitable that it will happen again. At least we don’t have to sneak around like Finn and Rachel still do. I don’t THINK Dad and Carole know, and if they do, FINN doesn’t know they know. We have it EASY.”

“This is true. Either way, I’m so glad they approve of us. I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t allowed to be with you whenever I wanted.”

“Oh we would SO West Side Story it, Blaine. You can be Tony and I’ll be Maria. Well, Mario – this’ll be a modern day West Side Story. And if Chino comes to kill you, I’ll totally kick his ass before he can do it.”

“I believe it – I’ve seen how hard you can kick.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve seen what happens to your keyboard when you’ve seen how hard I can kick,” Kurt smirked.

Blaine blushed profusely. “I’m never gonna live that down, am I?”

“Nope! Someday when I inevitably walk in on our future son masturbating, and it’ll happen ‘cause believe me, it’s even happened to ME, I’ll tell him, if you think THIS is embarrassing, wait ‘til you hear how I caught your dad. And then we’ll have a nice bonding moment and a great laugh at your expense.”

“That’s it. We’re NOT having kids. Hell, at this rate, you’ll be lucky if we get married.” Blaine crossed his arms and huffed.

“I have news for you, Blaine. We’re already married. We are an old fart married couple by now.”

“So you’re saying I’m stuck with you?”

“You’re stuck with me.”

“Okay. I guess I can live with that.”

**xXxXxXx**

“What do you think of this necklace, Blaine? Does it say ‘Mercedes’?”

Kurt and Blaine had found the art fair. Michael and Scott were right. It was definitely small, but it was quality – the artisans exhibiting and selling their work were obviously hand selected from some of the best. No crocheted mouse vacuum covers here!

“If says loud and ballsy, then it says Mercedes,” Blaine said, not really paying a whole lot attention to what he was saying.

“Blaine!” Kurt scolded as he slapped Blaine gently in the forehead.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Did you not hear what you just said? You just insulted my best friend!”

“Oh shit really? I’m sorry. I’m just a little distracted.”

“I did notice you were staring off in the distance at something.” Kurt set the necklace down and went to Blaine’s side. “Tell me?”

“I couldn’t help but notice. Look, about four booths down.”

“At that booth with all the paintings?”

“Yes, that’s the one. What do you see?”

Kurt took a moment to analyze what was within his site. “Well, I see two men. Impeccably dressed too, I might add. I’m impressed. They’re looking at a painting which is a little too bold for me, which is saying a lot because I love bold, and – “

“Kurt, honey. Look closer. Look at THEM.”

Kurt took a moment to look more closely at the scene in front of him. “Oh, they’re holding hands. That’s so sweet. The blond just turned to the other, and I don’t have to be able to see their expressions clearly to know that he’s looking at him the same way I look at you.” Kurt melted into Blaine’s arms. “They’re doing this out in public, Blaine. God it feels good!”

Blaine dropped a quick kiss on Kurt’s lips without even bothering to look around him. “I couldn’t do that in Lima.” He smiled. “When I was looking at those two, I saw those two picking out a piece for their home together. They’ve got that ‘new love’ look to them. They look like they’ve just recently discovered that they mean more to each other than they ever thought, and they’ve decided to move in together, and now they’re decorating their place.”

 “I can’t wait ‘til we’re decorating our own place together,” Kurt said softly with a smile spreading across his face as he thought about it.

“You know, there’s nothing that says we can’t pick up things here and there when we see that we like.” Kurt perked up considerably; Blaine could already see the design ideas churning through his mind. “CASUALLY, Kurt.  I’m sure you already have fully fleshed out ideas in that crazy-busy mind of yours, but a) we don’t even have a place picked out yet, b) neither of us has room to store a whole apartment worth of stuff, and c) you’re going to want to shop in New York, too, baby. Think of all the possibilities!”

Kurt nodded his head slowly. “Yeah, you’re right. I just get so excited thinking of anything that has to do with our future together that I go overboard.”

“Overboard is a slight understatement, baby.”

“Hey, watch it. I’m conceding defeat, here. Be nice to me or I will make you discover how much of an understatement the phrase ‘going a month without sex sucks’ truly is.”

“You’d. Never. Last.” Blaine said, lightly tapping Kurt’s nose with every emphasized word. He got up really close to Kurt’s face and tilted his head the slightest bit to look directly into Kurt’s eyes.

“I would too,” Kurt said, but his voice was a little unconvincing.

Blaine went in for the kill. He dropped his voice down low and said, “You would not.” He got so close to Kurt their chests were touching and Kurt could feel Blaine’s breath on his face. Kurt shuddered, and Blaine cracked a huge smile. “See? I DO win.”

He reached up to pull Kurt’s head down enough where he could reach that sensitive spot just behind Kurt’s ear, but Kurt said, “No,” firmly. “We may be in a place that will accept hand holding, hugs, and chaste kisses from us, but necking is usually frowned upon regardless of orientation. Save it for later, Anderson.”

Blaine was silent for a few moments. Then he said, “Is it later yet??”

“Horny bastard.”

“My parents were married when they had me. Besides,” he said, surreptitiously glancing at the front of Kurt’s pants, “calling me horny is the pot calling the kettle black, my dear.”

“We should go,” Kurt breathed.

Blaine laughed heartily. “No, no, no. We came into Columbus to enjoy ourselves and enjoy BEING ourselves in public. We can enjoy being our private selves later. Come on. Let’s go back and you can show me those necklaces for Mercedes again.”

Kurt whimpered but agreed. It would be a LONG day ‘til they got back to the bed and breakfast.


	46. Chapter 46

“NO, Blaine. I refuse to eat anything that looks like intestines,” Kurt complained.

“Kurt, it’s delicious. Try it! It’s like dessert spaghetti.” Blaine dangled a long strand of sugar-laden funnel cake over Kurt’s head. “Open wide, little birdie! Here comes a nice yummy worm for you!”

“Ugh, GROSS, Blaine!” Kurt said, nearly retching at the mental image. “If you truly intended to get me to eat that, you’ve failed spectacularly.”

“Actually, I just wanted to look like the boyfriend who shares everything, but secretly, I wasn’t planning on sharing this with you anyway because I KNEW you’d never eat fried batter like this.”

“Well, of course I don’t! One bite of 100% grease and my hips grow three inches.”

“I eat this kind of stuff all the time and it doesn’t affect me any,” Blaine pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s because you bounce around like a puppy all day and burn off more than you consume. I don’t know how you and Finn do it. I just LOOK at it and get all squishy around the middle.”

“Are you frickin’ kidding me, Kurt?” Blaine poked Kurt in the stomach.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“That was to prove a point, Kurt. You may not have rock hard abs, but you are toned and FAR from ‘squishy.’”

“Exactly. I don’t eat fried foods, therefore I am not squishy.”

Blaine threw his free hand up in the air. “I give up. I hope you at least realize that I find you so beautiful and sexy that you take my breath away.”

“Hey, that’s my line!”

“Damn good line, too. Here, live a little. Try some of that!” Blaine pointed out a booth selling sliced apples with caramel sauce and chopped nuts. “Apples are healthy. And nuts have good fats, right? And you can have them put on half the caramel sauce that they would normally put on everyone else’s serving.”

Kurt considered, and then nodded. It _did_ sound good. “Okay. There are worse things I could eat.” As Kurt said that, Blaine was dangling another strip of funnel cake into his mouth. “I’m sure it’s not supposed to LOOK that revolting, Blaine, but you sure are doing a good job of making it look nasty.”

“Everyone has skills. This is but one of mine.” Kurt merely shook his head and got his apples.

An hour and a half later, the boys left with stomachs full of sugary treats and a small bag containing the graduation gifts for Rachel and Mercedes that Kurt had hoped he would find. Kurt had to admit, Blaine was a good shopper when it came to the girls. Blaine had spent so much time with Kurt, Rachel, and Mercedes in the last year that he felt like he knew them nearly as well as Kurt did.

They had almost purchased their very first decorative item for their apartment in New York, as well, but after contemplating it while they completed their shopping, they decided to leave it behind and return home to Lima with only the website of the artist in case they changed their minds.

“Kurt, Kurt, Kurt!” Blaine bounced as they walked to the car. “Can we go to SugarDaddy’s now?”

“Blaine, honey, don’t you think we should eat some real food, first? And HOW can you be ready for more sweets already? I barely had anything compared to you and I can practically SEE the cavities forming in my teeth.”

“It’s a gift,” Blaine grinned.

With the help of Google and some good old-fashioned wandering around, the boys found a small Italian joint. It was really kind of a hole in the wall in a dark corner, but once they went inside, it was bright, cheery, and smelled amazing.

They were greeted at the door by a bubbly young woman. “Hello and welcome to Marcello’s. Two in your party today?”

Kurt nodded yes, and the woman flashed him a brilliant smile. “Right this way, gentlemen,” she said, leading them to a small table near the front of the restaurant.

“Um, excuse me, _Maria,_ ” Kurt began, taking the young woman’s name from her name tag, “could we please have a table a little farther from the center of the action? Perhaps that one?” he asked, pointing to a table that was in a small alcove. It looked private and romantic.

Maria’s smile faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly and led them to the table. She touched Kurt’s arm lightly as she set the menus down on the table. “Your server is Mark, and he’ll be with you in just a moment.” Ignoring Blaine, she addressed Kurt directly. “Please let me know if there is _anything_ else you need.”

Maria quickly hustled back to her station at the front of the restaurant, but he noticed that she had immediately turned her gaze back to their table. He and Blaine were still standing at their table, taking off their outside clothes and getting ready to sit. Blaine was just about to remove his jacket when Kurt said, “Wait. Leave that on for a sec.”

Kurt then went to Blaine’s side of the table and peeled Blaine’s jacket off him, placing a soft kiss right where his neck met his collarbone. Their eyes met and they smiled lovingly at one another. Blaine unwrapped Kurt’s lightweight scarf from his neck and repeated the gesture with Kurt, and they grabbed each other’s hands briefly before they sat down. Kurt risked a quick glance at Maria and noticed that her smile had disappeared and her mood had cooled significantly.  She noticed Kurt’s attention and busied herself with her seating map and organizing menus.

“I feel bad, but it had to be done,” he said to Blaine.

“What WAS that, anyway?” Blaine asked.

“She was flirting with me. I had to make sure she knew there was no chance.”

“Oh, I didn’t even notice. Then again, when you’re around me, just about everything tends to disappear into the background and it’s all about you.”

“I don’t know why she even bothered. Her gaydar must be broken – I _am_ fairly obvious.” Kurt paused. “Though it was kind of nice to be hit on. Even if it was a girl. I don’t exactly pull focus like you do.”

“Babe,” Blaine said, grabbing Kurt’s hands across the table, “it’s obvious that she appreciates a gorgeous man. You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. And I get to look at you as much as I want. It’s only natural for others to want to look, too.”

“You’re just saying that because you have to,” Kurt said, hanging his head down and blushing.

“When did you all of a sudden stop believing how amazing you are, Kurt? I mean really. We’ve been together for quite awhile. I thought I had broken through.”

“You have, it’s just that… on occasion something happens that remind me how different I am from others.  You get hit on all the time.”

“Seems to me SOMEONE I know once said, and I quote, ‘I’m proud to be different. It’s the best thing about me.’ Besides, the only person I want to hit on me is you.”

Kurt got a mischievous look on his face and hit Blaine gently on the shoulder.

“Hey, I didn’t mean literally!” Blaine giggled.

The tension broken, the boys settled down and perused the menu. Neither of them could decide what they wanted since everything looked so good, but eventually they found a sampler on the menu that was big enough to share. After placing their order, Blaine scooted his chair next to Kurt, and Kurt rested his head on Blaine’s shoulder. The restaurant wasn’t crowded, but there were enough other patrons there where it didn’t feel empty. Each boy thought for the millionth time that day that it was nice to not have to censor their interactions for the benefit of homophobes. When their meal arrived, they spent as much time feeding each other as they did feeding themselves, and they laughed every time one or the other missed and painted the other’s nose with tomato sauce. As much as Kurt would’ve enjoyed having some tiramisu, they declined dessert in favor of Blaine’s growing desperation to get to the brownie bakery and dive in.

After they had fought over who would pay for lunch (Kurt won, citing the fact that he refused to pay for the overabundance of sweets Blaine would inevitably purchase) and they headed to Sugardaddy’s. When they reached the storefront, Blaine practically plastered his face to the window. Kurt giggled and dragged him away.

“Come on, honey. I know you’re eager to eat all that you **can** eat, but you’ll have a hard time tasting things through a pane of glass.” Blaine took the lead and pulled Kurt through the door.

Blaine sniffed a big sniff and smelled all the good smells. “Ahhh, I can die happy now. I’ve got my man, I’ve had my Italian food, and now I’m gonna get my sugar coma on… life is good.” Several of the other patrons as well as the workers behind the bakery counter laughed at him, but Kurt just put his hands on his face and shook his head.

“I can’t take you _anywhere_ ,” Kurt mumbled.

“Oh please, I’m adorable,” Blaine scoffed.

“Oh yes, with your squished in nose from gluing your face to the store window and all the chocolate on your face?” Blaine had just ordered a few brownies and was in the process of stuffing one in his mouth. “Yes, you’re ‘adorable,’ all right. Remind me of that again when I’m taking the chisel to your face to get all the chocolate off.”

Blaine sidled up next to Kurt and set his face on Kurt’s shoulder. “You could just lick it off…” he said quietly.

Kurt felt a rush of blood travel south like a bullet. “Ungh… um, yeah.” He pulled away from Blaine and quickly composed himself. “Ready to go, sweetie?” he said, his cheeks a dark red.

Blaine smirked and said, “Just a second.  These ‘Drunky Chunky’ blondies are to DIE for – I need to buy a few more.” The girl behind the counter heard him and packed up three more to put in his already large box. Kurt didn’t even stop to listen to Blaine’s final bill – he knew it would be exorbitant, but he didn’t concern himself with it. The look on Blaine’s face was priceless, even if Kurt knew Blaine would be paying for the sugar overload later on.

They returned to where the art fair was set up and listened to the live band play. It was obvious that they were a high school, maybe young college age, group, but they did have some talent. They put a couple of dollars in the guitar case at the base of the makeshift stage before they went on their way.

Kurt and Blaine decided to return to the inn a little early. They had no idea what they would do when they got there, but it seemed as if it was time for a little relaxation.

When they arrived, they waved a quick hello to Michael and Scott, whom they caught in a private moment of their own. Michael and Scott waved at the boys as they made their way to the stairs leading to their room, but they did not pull away from their kiss as they did so. Kurt and Blaine grinned at each other and left them to their own devices.

Kurt flopped down on the bed, but Blaine had other ideas. He leaned against the doorway to the bathroom facing Kurt. “So… there’s a giant whirlpool bathtub in here that’s looking a little lonely…”

Kurt sat up on the bed like a shot and grinned. “Oh, you are SO on!” Blaine matched his smile and immediately turned around to begin filling the tub. Once he turned on the faucet and adjusted the temperature, Blaine returned to the bedroom where Kurt had already removed his shoes and was just about to start taking off his other clothing.

“Wait!” Kurt looked at him questioningly. “I want to help.”

“By all means…” Kurt said breathily.

Blaine pulled Kurt close to him with the scarf that was still around his neck. Their lips met in a slow, steamy kiss.

Blaine assessed Kurt’s outfit and groaned inwardly. “Again with the layers, Kurt?”

“I look fabulous, Blaine,” Kurt said haughtily.

“You LOOK as if it’s going to take me ten minutes to get you naked,” Blaine retorted.

“Well, you better get to work then, huh?”

Normally, he’d take it slow, but Blaine had a lot of ground to cover, so he quickly undid the buttons of Kurt’s vest and moved onto the dishearteningly numerous buttons of his shirt. Then of course Kurt had an undershirt… and knee high lace-up boots…and ultra skinny jeans… and socks underneath…

Once Blaine had finally gotten Kurt down to just his boxer briefs, Blaine feigned fatigue. “Well damn, Kurt. I don’t have the energy to continue this after taking allllllllll those clothes off you. Maybe you better get dressed and we’ll try this another time when I am more rested, or when you have fewer layers,” Blaine said teasingly, making his way to the bed to lay down while refusing to make eye contact with Kurt.

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s arm and yanked him backwards. “You are SUCH a brat, Blaine Anderson. You’re a damn LIAR, too. You had so much sugar today you should have energy into next week. Get back over here and kiss me before I really DO put all my clothes back on.”

“Temper temper, my dear diva! Do you kiss your father with that naughty mouth of yours?”

“No, but I kiss my boyfriend with it. Or I would, if he ever got his ass over here.”

Blaine got up off the bed and sauntered over to the doorway where Kurt was standing… and immediately slid past him into the bathroom to turn off the tub faucet.

“Hey!” Kurt protested. Blaine merely smirked and began peeling his own clothes off, taking about one-fourth the time with his own clothes that it took to get all of Kurt’s layers off.

“See how nice not having so many clothes on to begin with is, Kurt? You should take lessons from me.”

“The only lessons I see you giving right now is ‘How to annoy your exceedingly-patient-but-quickly-growing-frustrated boyfriend,’ and you’re one helluva good teacher of that.”

Blaine decided to finally give in and made his way over to Kurt. “Okay. Here I am. Now kiss me.”

Kurt crossed his arms and pouted. “No. Not gonna. You’re way too mean to – “

Blaine grabbed Kurt’s head and pulled him towards his lips. After a brief moment of surprise, Kurt poured himself into the kiss, which got more frantic as they got into it. After several moments of nipping, licking, and outright biting, they pulled apart, breathing heavily. “Now then,” Blaine declared. “That’s MUCH better. Come on. The temp in the tub should be just right.”

Blaine reached around Kurt’s back to guide him to the tub, but instead of holding him around the waist, he grabbed Kurt’s ass instead.

“Blaine!” Kurt scolded.

“What, I’m not supposed to put my hands on your ass? Not being allowed to touch it can make certain things unnecessarily difficult you know,” Blaine smirked.

When they got to the tub, Blaine pulled down Kurt’s underwear, dropping into a crouch as he did so, and he placed one quick kiss on the tip of Kurt’s half-hard cock. Kurt drew in a quick, sharp breath at the sensation, and Blaine smiled. “C’mon, baby, into the tub with you,” he said, holding out a hand to help steady Kurt as he stepped into the water.

The tub was huge. There was room for Blaine to stretch out beside Kurt, but instead he chose to place a leg on either side of Kurt and sit behind him. Once they were settled and made sure that the tub wasn’t so full that it would overflow, Blaine turned on the jets. Kurt moaned once the strong pulses of water began massaging the kinks from his muscles, and Blaine had to admit, it _did_ feel pretty fantastic. Kurt sank down in the tub and rested his head on Blaine’s shoulder, eyes closed and a wide, relaxed smile on his face. Blaine turned his head and placed whisper soft kisses on Kurt’s neck. Kurt shivered when Blaine licked the tickly spot behind his ear and moaned when Blaine’s hands wandered down his torso.

“ _Blaine,_ ” he whispered.

Blaine smiled with his lips on Kurt’s collarbone, gently sucking on the skin and marking him.

“Blaine,” Kurt admonished him.

“What?” he grinned.

“You owe me several new spring scarves. I don’t have nearly enough lightweight scarves to last me through a new hickey.”

“Gladly,” Blaine said and went back to making the mark darker so it would last as long as possible.

Kurt began to shift in the tub to turn to face Blaine, but Blaine stopped him. “No, sweetheart. It’s your turn right now. This is all for you.” Blaine’s meandering hands reached Kurt’s hips, and Kurt shuddered. Kurt would never say it, but Blaine knew Kurt was still the tiniest bit sensitive about his hips, having heard them called “pear hips” one or two too many times. Had they not been in a bathtub, Blaine would have worshipped them with his lips, but for now, his reverence had to be conveyed through his fingers. He gently massaged his hips, kneading away the fatigue the more-than-normal amounts of walking had caused.

“Blaine, _please…_ ” Kurt mumbled.

“Please what, baby?” Blaine said innocently.

“I _know_ where your hands are heading, Blaine. And I need them to arrive at their destination NOW.”

“Patience, my dear, patience,” Blaine said as he removed his hands from Kurt completely and held them out of the water.

“ _Asshole,”_ Kurt swore.

“No, that’ll come later. I was planning on touching your cock first. And don’t think I don’t know you’re rolling your eyes. You’re rolling them so hard I can hear them.” Blaine grabbed Kurt’s chin and turned his head so he could place a kiss firmly on Kurt’s lips. Then finally, _finally_ , he brought his hands down to Kurt’s cock, and Kurt groaned in relief.

“FINALLY,” he sighed, leaning back into Blaine again. Blaine slowly and lightly stroked Kurt’s already rock-hard erection. He used a loose grip and barely-there fingertip touches. “Blaine, _god_ , I don’t know why you insist on teasing me, but PLEASE… I need more.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“ _Please?_ ”

“That isn’t it,” Blaine taunted.

Kurt’s frustration boiled over at that point. “Ugh, _FUCK!_ ”

Blaine laughed. “That was it!” He tightened his grip on Kurt, and Kurt moaned in approval.

“Seriously?” he said breathlessly. “That was it?”

Blaine shrugged as he leisurely stroked Kurt’s cock – he may have been holding him more firmly, but he hadn’t yet adjusted the speed, and it was driving Kurt INSANE. “I wanted to hear you swear. I don’t get to hear it that often.”

“Ugh, I swear, I think you rattled something loose in your head when you collapsed that time you were so sick, Blaine. You are obviously not right in the hea – ungh GOD do that again!” Blaine had finally, FINALLY sped up his ministrations and after being teased for so long, Kurt was feeling himself careening rapidly toward his climax.

“Blaine, Blaine – you have to STOP! Stop, Blaine!”

Blaine was startled. “What? What did I do?”

“I’m gonna come!”

“So? I thought that was the point… ?”

“Blaine, think about it. We’re in a tub, WITH jets, I might add. I don’t want to sit in a tub with come swirling around! That’s just revolting!”

Blaine paused for a moment, mouth hanging open. “Of all things, you’re worried about…” He shook his head. “Okay, baby, up on the side of the tub.”

He shifted them around so he could easily help Kurt to sit on the edge of the tub. He then kneeled inside the tub in front of Kurt and slid him into his mouth. Kurt moaned so loudly that Blaine was afraid that he could be heard throughout the rest of the inn; he was thankful they were the only guests at the time. The erotic noise went straight to his own dick and he was fully hard within moments.

When he traced the vein on the underside of Kurt’s cock, Kurt dug his fingers into Blaine’s curls, and when he backed off and swirled his tongue around the head, Kurt’s fingers clenched tightly. And when he took Kurt’s cock all the way down, Kurt tugged on Blaine’s hair and released into his mouth. Kurt groaned with relief, and Blaine rested his head on Kurt’s thigh.

“God, that was amazing. The things you do to me, Blaine…”

“It makes me feel good to make you feel good, Kurt,” Blaine assured him.

“And it makes me feel good to make you feel good, and I haven’t done that yet. Here I’ve been blessed with one of Blaine Anderson’s mind-blowing orgasms, and I’ve left you hanging.” Kurt slid off the side of the tub and reached for Blaine’s hand to help him out of the tub. He turned off the jets and grabbed a robe for Blaine, holding it out for Blaine to put on. Grabbing his own robe, he told Blaine to go out into the bedroom to wait for him. “I’m just going to fast track my bedtime skin regimen, and then I will come out and take care of you, okay honey?”

Blaine enthusiastically agreed and kissed him firmly on the lips before heading to the bed. Now that he was reasonably dry, he dropped his robe on the floor and slid between the silky sheets, making a note to ask Scott what kind of sheets they used because they were FABULOUS. He snuggled up under the covers and settled in to wait for Kurt.

Kurt, though he shaved precious minutes off of his overall skincare routine, still managed to spend over a half hour in the bathroom. He was satisfied with the results, though, and felt positive he had again thwarted Mother Nature’s insistent attempts to place lines and dry spots on his face. He brushed his teeth and gargled some mouthwash and left the bathroom, finally ready to see to Blaine’s needs.

The sight that greeted him on the bed warmed his heart. Blaine was curled up in the fetal position in the middle of the bed, fast asleep. While he was chastising himself for taking so long to get ready for bed that Blaine had dropped off, he was also glad he got to see the beautiful creature on the bed in this way. Kurt didn’t get to see Blaine asleep often; usually he was the first to fall asleep and the last to wake up when he stayed over at Blaine’s place. Sleep was a neutral place – it wiped all the worries and cares off Blaine’s face and left a stunningly flawless boy behind, and Kurt couldn’t stop staring.

After standing in the doorway for a good five minutes just watching Blaine sleep, he finally approached the bed. Blaine had originally started out underneath the blankets but he had already kicked them halfway down the bed in his attempts to get comfortable. Kurt resituated the bedding, finger-combed the curls that he could reach without disturbing Blaine so they wouldn’t tangle, and kissed him softly on the cheek. He then went to the other side of the bed and stealthily climbed in, being careful not to jiggle the bed and wake Blaine. As much as he tried, Blaine still knew he was there and rolled over, flinging his arm over Kurt’s body to pull him closer.

Kurt hadn’t figured that this would be the kind of “care” he’d be giving Blaine tonight, but it was no matter. Blaine so rarely let anyone take care of him that any chance, any opportunity that Kurt could get to do anything for Blaine, big or small, he would take it. His love deserved the world, one gentle touch at a time.

 


	47. Chapter 47

Somewhere between daybreak and full-on sunrise, Kurt woke up needing to use the restroom and feeling very, very warm and somewhat claustrophobic. At some point during the night, Blaine had sprawled out almost on top of Kurt, doing his very best starfish impression. Kurt’s face was practically plastered into the pillow, and he wondered how he had still been able to breathe throughout the night.

Kurt attempted to peel his clingy boyfriend off his body, but it was kind of like trying to unhook a cat’s claws from a sweater – once Kurt had managed to free himself from one of Blaine’s limbs, another would just hang on tighter. Desperate potty times called for desperate measures, however, and he found himself wrenching his body away from Blaine and very nearly launching him off the bed.

“What? What? I’m up! I’m up! What happened?” Blaine cried sleepily and slightly frantically.

Kurt giggled at the sight of the wild curls that had broken free of their gel prison during the night and their owner looking around the room in a bit of a panic.

“I’m sorry for waking you, baby, but you were sacked out on top of me, and you wouldn’t move, and I really had to PEE! Speaking of which, now that I’m out from underneath you…” His voice trailed off as he rushed into the bathroom.

Blaine shook his head, thankful that there was nothing wrong, and stretched to get all the sleep kinks out of his body. It being morning, however, he had different “business” to take care of, and since he had a perfectly sexy man in the bathroom and two hours ‘til checkout time, he planned to do all the things they didn’t get to do last night because he had fallen asleep (damn the extra comfortable bed!).

Figuring Kurt had had enough time alone to use the toilet – as much as he loved Kurt and wanted to share everything with him, they both agreed that _some_ things were unnecessary to share – he padded to the bathroom in bare feet to properly greet his lover good morning.

“Ah ah ah!” Kurt scolded Blaine as he immediately drew Kurt close for a kiss. “Morning breath, mister!” Kurt held out Blaine’s toothbrush and toothpaste. Blaine groaned in annoyance but knew that Kurt was very insistent that their mouths be minty fresh before any sort of hardcore morning makeouts could commence. Kurt, already having finished  his morning bathroom routine, sauntered out of the room stark naked, wiggling his hips and rear end teasingly as he entered the bedroom. A lightning bolt of desire shot to Blaine’s already aching cock, and he finished brushing his teeth with a purpose. The sooner he could join Kurt, the better.

He swished some mouthwash around in his mouth quickly and spat it out, swiping at his mouth with the towel before heading back to the bedroom himself. The sight that greeted him made him groan loudly. Kurt was laid out on the bed on his stomach, his ass pointed right at Blaine as Kurt gently ground his groin into the bed.

“Blaine, I need you…” Kurt moaned, desperation clear in his voice.

Something inside Blaine snapped, and he swore. “Fuck, Kurt, you damn tease. Look at that pretty little ass up in the air. I’m gonna fuck that tight ass right into the bed.”

Kurt was momentarily shocked – Blaine had been known to have a more risqué vocabulary than his, but he had never been quite this dirty before. His ears weren’t entirely certain about the filthy language coming out of Blaine’s mouth, but his cock was sure interested. He moaned louder, feeling kind of slutty as he did so.

“Mmm yeah, Blaine, take me. Hard. Make me yours!”

“Fuck yeah, Kurt. Gonna make you scream. Gonna make Scott and Michael wish they had invested in better sound proofing.”

Blaine grabbed their bottle of lube off the nightstand and drenched his fingers with it. He straddled the backs of Kurt’s legs and pulled Kurt’s cheeks apart. He skipped right to two fingers and caused Kurt to flinch, but also groan with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

“You okay, baby?”

“God Blaine… just… hurry, please. I need you inside me.”

“Soon, baby. Soon. I’m gonna fuck this amazing ass, but I’ve gotta open you up for me first or you’re not ever gonna want to let me back inside it.” He quickly added a third finger, thrusting them rapidly inside Kurt.

“God, Blaine, I’ve gotta – “

“Don’t you dare come, Kurt,” Blaine ordered, reaching around in front of Kurt, squeezing at the base of Kurt’s cock just enough to make the immediate need subside a bit. He wiped his slick fingers along Kurt’s crack and reached for the condom next to him. Finally, after what seemed like an interminable amount of time for both Kurt and Blaine, Blaine was suited up, lubed up, and ready to go.

He knelt behind Kurt and grabbed Kurt’s hips, pulling him to more of a kneeling position also, though Kurt’s face was still buried in the pillow in front of him. Blaine placed his cock at Kurt’s entrance and pushed all the way in, in one firm thrust. It wasn’t rough, but it was enough to make Kurt wail into the pillow.

“God, baby, you don’t know what it does to me when I hear you scream my name like that. It makes me want to fuck. you. so. hard,” he said, punctuating each word with a snap of his hips and attempting to get just that little bit deeper inside Kurt each time.

Blaine fucked Kurt rhythmically for several minutes, Kurt not managing to do much more than grunt every time Blaine bottomed out inside him. Kurt didn’t know how he was managing to stave off his orgasm, but Blaine told him not to – he could only pray that Blaine would give the okay soon, because sooner or later it was going to happen whether he had permission or not.

Blaine’s rhythm got more erratic and his breaths became sharper. “You wanna come for me, beautiful? Make your ass squeeze my cock so hard so I can come, too?”

“God yes, Blaine. I need to come, please let me come!” Kurt begged.

Blaine leaned over so that his chest was making contact with Kurt’s back. He kissed Kurt once, softly, on the back of his neck, almost at his collarbone and then commanded in his ear, “Come.”

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut and arched his back slightly as his body began to obey Blaine’s order. It surprised Kurt; normally he required Blaine’s or his own hands on his cock in order to climax, but the combination of Blaine’s movement inside him and some dirty talk, which Kurt had decided he really did rather like, was enough to send him hurtling into a powerful orgasm.

“Fuck, Kurt. So good, baby, so good,” Blaine babbled as his own release took him as well.  Both boys collapsed onto the bed, Blaine still on top of Kurt, breathing heavily.

“God, I love you, Kurt. I love you so, so much,” Blaine said, pressing kiss after kiss onto Kurt’s neck and back.

“I love you too, Blaine, but… what the hell was that?” Kurt demanded, causing Blaine to startle and roll off Kurt’s back onto the bed beside him.

“What was what?”

“That dirty talk, Blaine! You’ve never spoken to me like that before.”

Blaine smirked. “You _liked_ it.”

Kurt blushed profusely but tried to deny it anyway. “No… it was kind of weird.”

“So weird that I thought my dick was going to break off inside you, you squeezed me so hard? So weird that you came twice as much as you normally do? Look at the puddle on the sheets, Kurt. Your puddle has betrayed you.”

Kurt looked down at the sheets underneath him in shock. “Oh my god,” he said, jumping up to get a towel. He knelt back on the bed, scrubbing at the spot. “Gross. And this room absolutely REEKS of sex. What are Scott and Michael going to think of us?”

Blaine gently grabbed Kurt’s hands, stopping him from trying to clean the bed. “Okay, first of all, I’m sure they have someone to clean and do laundry, so chances are, they won’t have any clue what we’ve been up to. And second, they _know_ what we’re up to in here. We are two good-looking teenage guys, away from home, no parents or brothers around to interrupt, madly in love with each other… of course we’re going to get all up on each other! Duh! And Scott and Michael LOVE us – they’d probably be disappointed if we didn’t take advantage of this amazing bed. Which I want to take home with me, by the way. It’s way better than mine.”

“You’re right. I hate to admit it,” Blaine snorted into the pillow because it was SO true, “but you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. And you know what else I’m right about?”

“What?”

“You totally liked the dirty talk.”

Kurt felt the flush burning all the way to the tips of his ears and nodded with embarrassment. “Yeah, I kinda did.”

**xXxXxXx**

After forcibly removing the towel Kurt was using to clean up the wet spot on the bed, Blaine dragged him into the shower. As they were still quite sated, the shower was productive, though it was still long as they just did not want to leave the soothing hot water and the amazing shower. Reluctantly, they extricated themselves from under the spray and got ready to face the day. After Kurt got dressed and tidied his suitcase, he joined Blaine in the bathroom, where he was gathering all their toiletries together to pack them.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine’s waist and propped his chin on Blaine’s shoulder. “This was a really good weekend.”

Blaine smiled. “It really was, wasn’t it? He agreed. “We should do something for your dad. Bake him a cake with real sugar and real chocolate in it or something, as a treat.”

Kurt snorted. “Oh no. My father was a naughty boy. After midnight on the night of my birthday party, I went downstairs to get a glass of warm milk to try to relax myself enough to fall asleep since I was kind of wound up, and do you know what I found? My father wolfing down the remnants of my cake. He had a cake mustache when I caught him. He looked so guilty. I’ve got to tell you, though. It’s a good thing I am an excellent actor because it took all I had in me to keep my bitchface perfectly plastered on my face and not burst out laughing. He looked like I kicked his puppy when I caught him. Hell, he looked like he was the puppy I kicked!”

Blaine burst out laughing. “You know, on one hand, I’m not sure I can picture your dad looking guilty, but on the other hand, I totally can.”

“I know, right? After I made a big production out of scraping the bits of cake he hadn’t eaten into the trash, tossed the plate into the sink, and left him in the kitchen without a word, I went upstairs and laughed so hard, I had to muffle myself with a pillow. I almost suffocated myself but it was so, so worth it. The only problem was, I forgot my milk, and the kitchen situation riled me up even more, so I was awake until like 3am!”

“God, I love your family, Kurt. Never a dull moment!”

“Our family, baby. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Blaine pulled Kurt into a tight hug, a tear lurking in the corner of his eye. “I won’t,” he whispered.


	48. Chapter 48

After sharing email addresses and hugs with Michael and Scott, who Kurt and Blaine had bonded with over the weekend, they said their goodbyes and settled into the car for the drive home. Blaine wove his fingers among Kurt’s and tilted his chair back, his eyes closed and a contented smile on his face.

“I feel like a new man,” he said. “It was only a weekend, but that’s the most relaxed I’ve felt in awhile.”

Kurt nodded. “I really needed that. I don’t think I thought a single thought about anything at home the whole weekend. I wish our lives could always be so carefree.”

“Well, it’d be nice for a little while, but it would get kinda boring, don’t you think? Conflict and drama makes life interesting.”

“The kind of conflict and drama we’ve had in the last year can go to hell, Blaine. I’m all for having a totally boring life for a little while before it all ramps up again.”

“Speaking of ramping up, it’s gonna get crazy pretty soon. Shouldn’t we be choosing our songs for Nationals by now?”

Kurt scoffed. “Don’t you remember how it was for me last year? Nothing was decided until we got on the plane to New York! If Mr. Schue even acknowledges the need to create a song list before the day of the competition, it’ll be a miracle.”

“Well, maybe we should jump start things a bit.” Blaine pulled out his phone and opened a notepad app. “Come on – you and I have a wide knowledge and appreciation of all types of music. Surely we can come up with some good ideas.”

While Kurt drove, he and Blaine pored through their playlists on their iPods, agreeing on some songs and vehemently arguing against others.

_“Kurt, you are the ONLY one in New Directions, girls included, who has that kind of range – they’re going to accuse you of keeping all the solos for yourself.”_

**_“That one would only work with your team of doo-wopping Warblers behind you – we don’t have the a cappella skills needed to do it justice.”_ **

_“You know Rachel’s going to try to steal that one for her and Finn – do we REALLY need yet another Finchel number? Let’s pick something that would be more suited for other people. Sam and Mercedes haven’t gotten to sing together yet…”_

**_“Journey, Blaine? SERIOUSLY? Oh, okay, I get it. You think you’re so damn funny, don’t you? … STOP LAUGHING, asshole.”_ **

They continued their gentle bickering until they got to the Lima city limits and then turned the music off to enjoy their last few moments of their weekend getaway in silence. Blaine leaned back in his seat but turned his head to face Kurt with a loving smile.

Kurt felt Blaine’s gaze on him. “What?”

“You’re so beautiful when you’re happy,” Blaine said almost reverently.

Kurt blushed slightly. “Thank you,” he said shyly.

Kurt pulled into the driveway at his house – he would take Blaine home shortly, but he wanted to check in with his family first, and he knew Blaine wanted a chance to thank his father for the gift as much as he did. Kurt moved to get out of the car, but Blaine grabbed his arm and pulled Kurt toward him. “Not so fast. Kiss me,” he ordered.

“We could do that in the house. It’s not as if they’ve never seen us kiss before,” Kurt protested.

“Kurt,” Blaine said with a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. “I just want you to myself for a moment longer before I have to share you with the rest of the world again. Please?”

How could Kurt argue with that? His expression softened and he allowed Blaine to pull him in for a passionate kiss, which ended up being entirely inappropriate for others to see, so it was probably a good thing they hadn’t gone inside quite yet.

The boys were interrupted by the front door being flung open and a voice yelling, “YOU’RE HOME!”

They broke apart and Kurt hung his head. “Finn Hudson, Cockblocker Extraordinaire,” he grumbled. “Next time Rachel is over, he had better watch out. I might get an airhorn or something and accidently set it off when he’s getting his mack on.”

Blaine laughed heartily and jumped out of the car. After grabbing Kurt’s bags from the back, completely ignoring Kurt’s protests that he could get his own things, he headed toward the house. By the time Kurt caught up with Blaine, he was already inside with Kurt’s bags tossed on the floor at his feet and his arms flung around Burt. It always made Kurt’s breath hitch to see Blaine and his father together. Blaine needed love and acceptance so much from a father figure, and Burt was only too happy to give it.

Kurt and Finn glanced at each other and turned their gaze back to Blaine and Burt. Burt noticed them standing there watching and beckoned them to join them. All four men were joined together in a group hug for a few moments when Carole bustled out of the kitchen.

“Awww, how adorable,” she cooed. “My four favorite men in the whole world!”

They brought her into the hug for a moment before Carole stepped back and said, “Welcome home, boys. Did you have a good time?”

“The best,” Blaine and Kurt said at the same time. “Thank you so much,” Kurt said to Burt sincerely.

Burt simply nodded and said gruffly, “You’re welcome. I was glad to do it.”

Carole offered for Blaine to stay for dinner, but he declined stating that he had a few things at home he needed to get done before school the next day. “Preferably you,” he whispered suggestively in Kurt’s ear. Kurt swatted him away like a pesky fly before they both said goodbye and walked to the car so Kurt could drive Blaine home.

The drive was short, and soon Blaine was at his own front door. Kurt walked him to the door, intending to stay just long enough to get a goodnight kiss and then go home to take care of a few of his own things before the weekend was over.

Blaine gathered Kurt into his arms. “Stay with me tonight?” he begged.

“Blaine, I can’t…” Kurt said apologetically.

Blaine face fell. “Please?”

“I want to, Blaine, but we have school tomorrow. If I don’t have too much homework, I’ll come stay with you tomorrow night, but I need to go home tonight.”

Blaine nodded sadly. “Okay. I understand. I just don’t want this weekend to end.”

“Me neither. But life marches on.”

Blaine pulled Kurt close for a soft, chaste kiss. “I love you.”

“J’taime, mon cher. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

Kurt pulled away from Blaine’s arms reluctantly and got into the driver’s seat. As Kurt drove away, Blaine watched the taillights of the Navigator get smaller and smaller until the vehicle could no longer be seen. Only then did he go inside and get settled for the evening. He felt the lack of Kurt’s presence even more strongly that night, and for once, he couldn’t wait to get to school the next morning.

**xXxXxXx**

Posters announcing the senior prom had gone up all throughout the school that morning, and it was all that anyone could talk about at lunch that day. Rachel, Quinn, and Mercedes were excitedly talking about the dresses they had hoped to get, while Finn and Sam listened to their chatter, looking bored.

Kurt and Blaine were apprehensive about the event. Understandably so. Their last attempt at prom had ended in a mess. From the other end of the table, Finn picked up on his brother’s mood and slid down the bench so he could speak without shouting to be heard.

“We got your back, bro. Every last one of us. We won’t let anyone ruin this prom for you or anyone else.”

“Thanks, Finn. But you can’t prevent everything.”

“And you can’t avoid everything. Take a chance. Please come to Prom, guys. It won’t be the same without the senior class’s two best dressed guys there to play Mr. Blackbird with everyone’s outfits.”

Blaine and Kurt burst out laughing. “That’s Mr. Black _WELL_ , Finn,” Kurt politely corrected him. “But I will still give you credit for even knowing about that vile man, even if his opinions were mostly true.”

After discussing it together, Kurt and Blaine agreed to make an appearance at Prom, knowing that if they didn’t at least show up for a little while, they’d probably regret it. They decided on going low key, though, not wanting to tempt fate TOO much. Kurt chose a Vivienne Westwood-esque suit with black-on-black Harlequin style detailing (as much as Kurt hated knockoffs, the real jacket was in the four-digit price range, and that was most definitely NOT low key). Blaine went with a light gray suit, white shirt… and bright purple tie. Blaine always did love his splash of color.

The Senior Prom was as uneventful as everyone had hoped. Lauren had implored Puck to be on his best behavior, so the punch bowl remained virgin. The Prom king and queen were a jock from the hockey team and his girlfriend from the Cheerios – Quinn was disappointed that her last chance to get a high school crown did not pan out, but Artie, who was acting as her date that night, pulled a small plastic tiara from the bag he always had strapped to his chair and earned himself a beautiful smile and a peck on the cheek from Quinn. She placed it on her head; it looked silly, as it was pink with Cinderella on it and it was obviously meant for a child, but it didn’t matter. That night, it was the thought that counted.

Kurt and Blaine each danced with every girl in the Glee club. Becky Jackson even managed to snag a dance with Blaine. Blaine had been a little worried about Becky, as he claimed she was looking at him through the entire dance like she had some sort of crush on him, but those worries were all for naught. After the song ended, she led Blaine back to Kurt and said, “Wanky,” as she placed Blaine’s hand in Kurt’s. Then she bounced away, reclaiming her own date for the next dance.

“Oh God, that poor girl has been co-captain with Santana for far too long,” Kurt said, shaking his head.

After one more dance, a slow one, to _Amazed_ , they agreed that they were all Prom’ed out and said their goodbyes to their friends. They walked hand in hand to Kurt’s car and were relieved that their walk was as uneventful as the rest of their evening.

“You _are_ coming home with me tonight, right?” Blaine asked.

Kurt pointed at his overnight bag and the empty garment bag for his suit in the back seat. “Of course! What would prom night be without some totally cliché post-prom sexing?”

“I, for one, am totally cool with participating in the cliché,” Blaine said, letting his hand wander up Kurt’s thigh.

“Hey hey hey,” Kurt protested as he grabbed onto Blaine’s hand to keep it from going any further. “There will be no prom night shenanigans in THESE pants, thank you very much. They may not be authentic Vivienne Westwood, but they are still fabulous, and I refuse to have come stains all over one of my best outfits,” he said haughtily.

Blaine chuckled. He should have figured Kurt would put a stop to any activities happening in these clothes. He couldn’t wait to get back to his place to peel the impeccably tailored pants off his devastatingly handsome boyfriend.


	49. Chapter 49

**_“NATIONALS”_** was written on the white board as the Glee club members entered the choir room the Monday after Prom.

“Holy shit, you mean we’re actually going to TALK about Nationals _before_ we get there this year?” Puck said rudely.

“Yes Puck, we are,” confirmed Mr. Schuester as he strode into the room and stood before the class. “Now, I realize that perhaps arriving in New York completely unprepared last year was not the greatest idea I’ve ever had…”

He was interrupted by most of the room coughing and mumbling under their breath, saying things like “Ya think?” “Obviously,” and “No shit, Sherlock.”

“All right, all right. Calm down, folks. So yes, today we’re going to spend some time brainstorming themes for our set list.”

“Excellent,” Kurt broke in. “Blaine and I spent a couple of hours recently coming up with our idea of the perfect set list, and we think it’ll be absolutely fabulous.”

“That’s great, Kurt. I’m sure we’ll all be glad to hear your ideas,” said Mr. Schuester, “but I’m sure the others have some thoughts, too.”

Other members of the Glee club shared their ideas for themes. “Love songs” came from Rachel. Puck suggested Billy Joel, as he was one of Puck’s favorite Jewish artists. Lauren wanted to do songs about sports. Mercedes was all about R&B artists.

Tina tentatively raised her hand. “Mr. Schue?”

“Yes, Tina?”

“I don’t think we should create a new set list at this point in the game. I think that if we REALLY want to win this thing, we should do the songs that have served us well. The New Directions’ Greatest Hits, if you will.”

Mr. Schuester nodded, and Mike squeezed Tina’s hand approvingly. “That’s actually a really good idea, Tina.” He grabbed a dry-erase marker and uncapped it, poised to write down suggestions. “Now, what songs do you guys all feel were our best?”

“ _Somebody to Love_!”

“Rachel’s _Don’t Rain on My Parade_ was probably the only reason we won Sectionals our first year.”

“ _We Are Young_ pulled us all together as a group.”

“We HAVE to do _Don’t Stop Believin’_. It’s kind of our anthem.”

Mr. Schuester scribbled on the white board until it was full of suggestions.

“It’s too bad it’s not winter time,” Blaine lamented. “Kurt’s and my _Baby, It’s Cold Outside_ would’ve brought the house down.”

Mr. Schuester smiled. “I don’t know, boys. I saw the looks on your faces right after you finished that song, remember? I think you would have BURNED the house down, not just brought it down.” Blaine and Kurt both blushed as the other boys whooped and hollered at Mr. Schue’s insinuation.

“Touché,” Kurt mumbled.

“There are a lot of songs on here, Mr. Schuester,” Rachel worried. “How are we going to choose from them all?”

“Well, we’re going to have to prepare six songs. We will need to perform three for the first round of competition, and then if we get called back, which I’m certain we will, we will need three different songs for the finals.”

As a group, they all decided that it was important to be able to show off all the talent their little family had, so they chose some numbers that had lots of different parts.

They decided to open their first round of competition with _Sing_ by My Chemical Romance. Rachel and Finn would take the leads on that song as they had done before. Another easy decision was their rendition of _We Are Young_ by fun. They were able to showcase nearly everyone’s voices in that one.

The surprise of the day, though, came in the form of Santana’s suggestion that their middle song be _Perfect_ performed by Kurt and Blaine.

“I thought you hated it when we sang that song,” Kurt said warily. “In fact, you made some derogatory comments involving sucking and Blaine’s and my sex life in reference to our rendition.”

“I don’t admit this easily,” she started, “but I was being an asshole. What I said to you was awful, and I’m sorry. You guys did awesome with that song.”

“She’s right,” Mercedes added. “In fact, you guys were WAY better than us when we sang it for you at Prom. Probably because you’ve practiced it in the car so much, singing it to each other and being all cute and stuff,” she teased.

Kurt rolled his eyes at Mercedes, but grinned at her enthusiasm. “Thank you, Santana,” he said quietly. “That song means so much to Blaine and me – we were rather hurt when you trashed it in front of us.”

“All in favor of Kurt and Blaine taking the second song?” asked Mr. Schuester. Everyone in the room raised their hands, including Brad at the piano. Kurt beamed, and Blaine caught Brad’s eye and made the sign for “thank you” in his direction. Brad tipped his head just slightly to acknowledge him.

They spent the rest of rehearsal discussing the second set of three songs they’d have to have ready to perform. _Don’t Stop Believin’_ and _Somebody to Love_ were pretty obvious choices to them, but it was hard to decide which song they should use as their third. After much debate, it was finally decided that _Dog Days Are Over_ by Florence + the Machine would fit the bill perfectly. Tina was both excited and terrified, knowing that this was her most important solo of her high school career. Kurt, who was sitting right next to her, reached his arm out and dragged her in for a congratulatory hug.

“It’s about time,” he whispered in her ear.

“I know. Thanks for mentioning it to the group.”

“Any time.”

**xXxXxXx**

The New Directions went to daily after school rehearsals to bring their older numbers out of mothballs, and also to bring Blaine up to speed on harmonies and choreography since he hadn’t been around when they performed most of the songs. Thankfully, it took almost no time at all for him to catch on, and with him being so musically inclined, he was able to suggest some things to make their performance even better.

They spent so much time preparing for the competition that the days flew by and pretty soon it was time for Kurt and Blaine to leave for New York. Once Regionals was over and they learned that they would be going to New York for Nationals, Kurt and Blaine made plans to fly into the city several days early to explore the city and look at potential places to live, essentially killing two birds with one stone. Kurt was extremely antsy to get there and see all the things he didn’t get to see when they were at Nationals last year. They were so busy being forcibly cooped up in the hotel to write their competition songs that aside from Kurt and Rachel’s side trip to rehearse at the Gershwin, no one got to do anything fun while they were there. And that was something that Kurt was not willing to risk a second time.

The boys boarded their plane that arrived in New York three days before the first round of competition at Nationals was to take place. They landed at LaGuardia and were immediately greeted by a well dressed man offering car service to anywhere in the city for a flat rate. Kurt figured that they could probably get a better rate with a cab or perhaps even some sort of bus or shuttle service, but he and Blaine were both tired – they had had an early flight, made even earlier yet by the long drive into Columbus, so they said yes to the man, who grabbed Kurt’s bag and immediately began speed walking to the parking ramp.

Kurt briefly glanced at Blaine and began to trot to keep up with the driver. Kurt was already beginning to learn exactly how fast-paced the city really was, if this man was any indication. After what seemed like about a half a mile walk done in about five minutes, they reached a shiny black car where the driver was already loading Kurt’s suitcase in the back. Blaine rolled his up to the trunk and slung it in. He barely had a chance to catch his breath before the driver was hopping into the car, getting ready to go whether the boys were in the vehicle or not. They jumped in, and the split second their asses touched seat, the driver was barreling out of the parking spot and onto the highway.

The drive into Manhattan was what truly made Blaine and Kurt realize that they just weren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto. There were _so_ many people. Wall to wall people. And the roads! This driver had obviously grown up in New York and knew the ins and outs of getting through traffic as quickly as possible, but Kurt and Blaine were torn between fearing for their lives and being in awe of how fast this man could weave in and out of traffic and how close he could get to other vehicles without causing an accident.

Once their initial fear had died down, though, the ride to their hotel was actually quite fascinating. The driver sensed that they were ready for a bit of a tour, and he proceeded to tell them all about what buildings they were passing, which bridges and bodies of water they were crossing, and little bits and pieces of information about visiting the city that they might find helpful.

When they finally arrived at their hotel (in one piece each, thankfully), the driver unloaded their baggage, and the boys tipped him well. Despite their initial panic that they were going to die, they really did enjoy their ride, and it was much more comfortable than a bus would have been.

They got settled into their hotel room and immediately abandoned any notions about unpacking in favor of heading out to grab a bite and explore Times Square, which was only about a half a block’s walk from where they were staying. Their hotel was on somewhat of a dingy side street with nothing remarkable on it, but as soon as they reached the end of the street, all the lights and billboards and grandeur of Times Square greeted them. Kurt stopped in his tracks and just stared in awe. They hadn’t had time to really LOOK at anything when they were here before.

Finally snapping out of his New York induced stupor, Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and dragged him across the street. “Look Blaine, it’s the red steps! Just about any time you see Times Square on TV, you see the red steps! And the TKTS booth is underneath! You get cheap theatre tickets there. We should see if there’s anything good playing tonight! Oh, and look! There’s the _How to Succeed in Business_ billboard with Nick Jonas – I wish we had been here when that guy who really looks like you was playing. I heard he practically caused riots at the stage door, he was so popular! And look! The _Wicked_ billboard! Oh, that was one of the best moments of my LIFE being on that stage – I wonder if we can get tickets to see that! And there’s _RENT_ and _Avenue Q_ and…”

Blaine just grinned at his boyfriend. Kurt was really in his element here, and it was a beautiful thing to see. He couldn’t wait ‘til they were living here permanently. He hoped that Kurt’s excitement for the city would never change.

Blaine heard a clicking sound – Kurt was snapping his fingers right in Blaine’s face to get his attention. “Hey, where’d you go? Am I boring you?”

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist. “Not in the slightest. I’m just enjoying watching you fanboy over Times Square. It’s adorable.”

Kurt pouted. “I can’t help it. It’s… it’s NEW YORK, Blaine! In six months, we’ll be living here! It’s so close, I can taste it. I can already tell I’m not going to want to go home on Sunday.”

“Well, pretty soon, you won’t have to, baby. I’m already loving it too. Come on. Let’s walk around some more. Find somewhere to eat because I’m starving, and then we can do some more gawking and drooling over the sights. Maybe check out ticket prices and see if there’s anything we can afford to watch tonight. I’m all for catching a show, but we can’t see everything or we won’t have any money to move here with,” Blaine said sensibly.

 “All right,” Kurt sighed, knowing that _Wicked_ probably didn’t fall into the category of “tickets they could afford.” “You’re right. But Blaine, if there’s ever a point in our lives where money is no object or we just get a really good tax refund or something, I want to see as many shows as we can until we run out of room to store our playbills.”

Blaine grinned. “You better start buying lottery tickets or praying to a God you don’t believe in, because to have that kind of cash at our disposal is probably going to be nothing short of a miracle, but if it ever happens, I’m in.”

Kurt leaned over and gave Blaine a quick peck on the lips, thrilled that this was New York and that kind of thing happened all the time without anyone ever batting an eye. He pointed down the street at a large deli on the corner. “Come on, honey – there’s a HUGE deli over there. It’ll be quick and less expensive than eating at a sit-down restaurant, and then we can get back outside to walk around.”

Wrapping their arms around each other’s waists, they set off down the street to get their lunch. Upon ordering their food, they were surprised at how much even a plain club sandwich cost in the city, and of course, absolutely everything was a la carte, as well. Two sandwiches, two bags of chips, two drinks, and nearly $30 later, they left the deli, their appetites sated but their wallets noticing the loss.

“Damn, we really AREN’T in Ohio anymore, are we?” Blaine commented.

“Yeah, I don’t remember it being this expensive last year, but we didn’t have much for free time, either,” Kurt agreed.

After gawking for a few more moments at the city around them, Kurt and Blaine decided to take one of the big red tour buses. They chose the Downtown Loop tour, which would take them past all the most iconic New York City attractions: the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central Station, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, and all sorts of other places they had only heard about.

They chose to sit on the top level of the tour bus to make it easier to get great pictures. The top was partially covered, but because the plexiglass covering was so scratched up from previous riders, they sat at the back where there was no protection from the elements. It was a bit brisk out, but they were bundled up well, so they settled back and enjoyed their ride.

Their tour guide, Mindy, was a good one. She had lived in New York all her life. In her heavy Bronx accent, she shared with them all sorts of bits and pieces of trivia about everything they passed. They learned that Macy’s was the world’s largest department store, that the large needle and button sculpture on “Fashion Avenue” had holes in the button in the shape of an F in honor of the Fashion District’s logo, that Grand Central Station is not actually a station but a post office, and that the Flatiron Building held the newspaper for which Spiderman’s Peter Parker was a freelance photographer. Kurt eagerly held out his camera and snapped a photo of nearly every inch of New York that they passed, and Blaine absorbed every tidbit of information their guide offered. When they were nearing Greenwich Village, Mindy offered a piece of information that Kurt and Blaine hadn’t counted on.

“Um, Blaine? Did she say what I think she just said?”

Blaine turned slowly to face Kurt. “God, I was hoping I was just hearing things, but if you heard it too, I don’t think I was.”

The disturbing piece of information that Mindy had shared was that “most apartments in Manhattan averaged around $2000-3000 per month.” Kurt knew it would be quite expensive to live in New York, but that price range was even higher than he had figured.

While they were mulling over this new development, they missed their stop for Ground Zero. Kurt was upset as this was something he had really felt the need to see, but Blaine pointed out that their bus tickets were good for a full 24 hours, so they could just hop another bus at another time and go back there sometime before the tickets expired.

Shortly after their missed stop at Ground Zero, the bus made its way toward Battery Park and a view of Lady Liberty herself. Not wanting to miss another of their country’s important landmarks, they hopped off the bus and made their way towards the water’s edge.

The Statue of Liberty was on Ellis Island a ways out into the harbor, but from where they stood, they could still get a decent view of her with the zoom on Blaine’s camera. He snapped pictures obsessively for a few moments, and then he wandered away from Kurt to get a good look at the large boat that would take sightseers right up close to view the statue.

Kurt remained where he was, leaning up against the fence that separated him from the water. He stood, staring out at the island, at the statue, at the immigration building, and finally just at the water itself. The view was calming, and Kurt took every moment available to just stand and reflect, to breathe in the fresh air from the breeze off the harbor, and to enjoy that particular instant in his life.

Blaine, having wandered off a little farther than he had planned, abandoned the oversized seagull he had been stalking with his camera and turned to retrace his steps back to Kurt. As Blaine approached his boyfriend, he noticed that the sunlight was hitting Kurt “ _just so”_ so that his hair and his face glowed. He looked angelic just standing there, the most relaxed that Blaine had seen him in quite some time. He snapped a few photos of Kurt before he could notice him returning to him and put away the camera.

Blaine walked up behind Kurt quietly and wrapped his arms around his waist. Kurt jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, but his body recognized the arms and he immediately melted into Blaine’s embrace. Blaine rested his chin on Kurt’s shoulder and said, “I know I say this a lot, but you’re so beautiful, Kurt.”

Kurt’s face flushed as it always did at the compliment. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it, but thank you. And I know I say _this_ a lot, but you take my breath away.”

Kurt clasped the hands that were still wrapped around his waist in front of him, and Blaine placed a soft kiss on Kurt’s heated cheek.

“Come on, sweetheart, let’s catch the next bus and continue our tour. We should be back in time to figure out if there are any good deals on a show to see tonight.”

Kurt nodded and the two set off hand in hand towards the tour bus stop to continue their trip. The second half of the ride was less interesting than the first half; the first half was filled with famous landmarks, but the second was mainly views of regular people going about their daily lives as they always did. Chinatown didn’t interest Kurt in the least, at least as far as shopping went – he was interested in deals on designer merchandise as much as anyone else, but he preferred that his outfits were comprised of legitimate pieces and not shoddy quality knockoffs and fakes.

Blaine, losing interest in snapping pics of everything he saw, set his camera in his lap, at the ready, but no longer in constant use. He curled up against Kurt in the uncomfortable plastic bus seats and watched the city go by. He took a few obligatory photos of the United Nations as they passed by, but his interest was not truly piqued again until they reached Rockefeller Center. After consulting the bus route map, they decided that the trip around parts of Central Park would take more time than they were willing to give it and disembarked at Rockefeller Center; their hotel was within walking distance, so it made sense.

As soon as the bus dropped them off and continued on its route, Blaine spotted the Lego Store at Rockefeller and bounced up and down in excitement. “Kurt! Look!” he said excitedly, pointing at the building. “Let’s go inside and look!” Kurt readily agreed – he may have been a boy who preferred dolls and tea parties growing up, but _EVERYONE_ loves Legos, even him.

The first thing they saw was the Lego logo. Upon close inspection, they realized that it was made up entirely of the tops of minifigure heads. Blaine whipped out his trusty camera and took pictures of the whole sign and a detailed photo showing the heads. “I wonder how many minifigs they had to decapitate to make this sign,” he said.

Kurt giggled and replied, “I wonder if there’s some sort of Headless Horseman style minifigure graveyard out there somewhere. I can see it now – thousands of headless Lego bodies, arms sticking straight out in front of them, wandering aimlessly searching for their heads.”

Blaine laughed, and so did some people nearby who had heard their exchange. Grinning, Kurt placed his hand on the small of Blaine’s back and pushed him through the doors to see what was to be seen inside.

There were some amazing Lego creations inside: Atlas with the world on his shoulders, wall murals, a giant green dragon twisting his way around the upper level of the store, “Hey Kurt, LOOK! It’s the Death Star! And the Starship Enterprise!” Perhaps the most impressive sculpture of all was the model of Rockefeller Center and the skating rink below. Blaine tried in vain to get the whole thing in one frame with his camera, but it was no use – that thing was HUGE! It was so detailed, right down to all the skaters on the rink.

Kurt allowed Blaine a few minutes to stare in awe through the glass at the Lego model, and then he pulled him away gently to continue on their way back to their hotel, where they would change their clothes in anticipation of a night at the theatre and then head out to obtain said theatre tickets.


	50. Chapter 50

After their stop at their hotel (and a brief makeout session – hey, they had been around each other ALL DAY and hadn’t had a chance to grope!), they walked down the street and into Times Square to the TKTS booth. Since it was mid-afternoon, the lines were practically gone and they were able to walk right up to the booth to choose their show and their seats. Some minor bickering had occurred (“ _But the clothes are all new for the RENT revival, Blaine, and I want to see the new set_ ,” and “ _Deranged Muppets, Kurt – Avenue Q is like the Muppet Show on ‘shrooms, and I want to see it!_ ”), but they finally decided to see _Avenue Q_ , Kurt conceding the fact that if they were to get Mr. Schue to take the New Directions to a show while they were here, he’d be more likely to take them to _RENT_ than _Avenue Q_. It wasn’t appropriate for them to sing some of the songs as a high school Glee club in a competition, but since the club as a whole was mostly of-age by that time, it was no big deal to actually go see it as a group.  “Besides,” Kurt pointed out. “I don’t want to be anywhere near Mr. Schuester during the simulated puppet sex scene.”

“THERE’S SIMULATED PUPPET SEX?” Blaine exclaimed, Kurt quickly shushing him with his eyes darting around, praying no one heard Blaine’s slightly too loud outburst. “I KNEW _Avenue Q_ was a great idea!”

“Yes dear,” Kurt placated him. “Come on, let’s go find something to eat and get out of this breeze before my hair deflates.”

“Yeah right, Kurt. You complained about my gel all the time, but you and your hairspray are on just as intimate of terms as my gel and I were.”

“But Blaine, at least you can run your hands through my hair without having enough grease on your hands to fry a chicken,” Kurt retorted.

“Whatever. Come on, babe. Look – there’s the Stardust Diner over there. I’ve heard of that place. Let’s go see if the food is any good.”

Hand in hand, they walked to the café. Kurt had to practically drag Blaine across the street as they crossed. “Blaine, one thing you need to learn about New York – you pay NO attention to the traffic lights and street signs. You cross when you can get across without getting run over, and traffic lights have absolutely nothing to do with it. If you wait until the light is with you AND it’s safe, you may be waiting awhile.”

They reached the café and went inside to discover that the servers were also performers who would sing to you while you ate. Kurt ordered some chicken and Blaine decided to try their mac ‘n’ cheese, and they settled back to listen to the entertainment. A cute waiter a little older than Kurt and Blaine with poofy blond hair noticed the two and serenaded them. The boy raised his eyebrow first at Blaine, who then cuddled up a little closer to Kurt, and then at Kurt, who shook his head slightly, just enough for the singer and no one else to notice. The boy shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Oh well, worth a try” and moved on to sing to some of the other patrons of the restaurant.

“We could totally get him to have a threesome with us,” Blaine teased, whispering into Kurt’s ear as the waiter finished up his song and went back to serving his section.

Kurt’s eyes had a mischievous gleam. “You think? You should go over there and ask him.”

“Well, he IS pretty cute,” Blaine said, pretending to seriously debate the option in his head. “But no, I don’t think I will.”

“And why is that?”

Blaine leaned even closer and dropped his voice so low, both in tone and in volume, that Kurt could barely hear him. He felt Blaine’s words more than heard them as they were practically growled into his ear; the vibrations doing much to drive all the blood in his body to his groin. “Because I am the only one who gets to Make. You. SCREAM.” He punctuated his statement by capturing Kurt’s earlobe between his teeth, gently biting down. Kurt whimpered as Blaine swirled his tongue around the lobe before letting it go and pressing his face into Kurt’s neck.

“ _Fuck,_ ” Kurt groaned softly. “Why the hell must you DO this to me when we’re out in public and will BE in public for the foreseeable future?” he demanded. “Do you enjoy torturing me? Wait, don’t answer that,” he changed his mind as he caught Blaine smirking at him.

“Here you go, boys,” the waiter from before said as he dropped off their meals. He smiled knowingly at the two as Kurt blushed darker. “If there’s anything else I can get you, _please_ let me know. Enjoy!”

“Yep, you do. You are a sadist, Blaine Anderson. You totally get off on torturing me.”

“That’s not how I got off in the hotel room earlier!”

Kurt gave Blaine a playful smack and they both dug into their meals. The food wasn’t stellar, but decent, and they agreed that they would encourage Mr. Schuester to take the Glee club here sometime during their stay, figuring everyone but Rachel would enjoy listening to the wait-staff singing, and even Rachel would probably enjoy comparing herself to them. “We’ll just make sure to sit on the opposite end of the table from her,” Kurt said, Blaine nodding his head furiously in agreement.

Once they had finished their meal, they made their way to the New World Stages, which ended up being on the same street as the restaurant, so it was really easy to find. They arrived right as the staff was allowing entrance to the theatre, so there was no need to kill any time before heading downstairs. The building housed four different auditoriums, one of which was for _RENT_ , so Kurt decided to get souvenir posters for both shows just in case they were unable to convince the crew to see _RENT_ before they had to return to Lima.

After Kurt had made his purchase at the _RENT_ souvenir stand (“These posters will look perfect in our apartment when we move here, Blaine”), they visited the _Avenue Q_ stand. The moment they stopped, Blaine burst out laughing and started pointing at something he saw along the back wall.

“Kurt, I NEED that!”

“No you don’t.”

“Kurt, EVERYONE needs a ‘The Internet is for Porn’ t-shirt!”

“ _I_ don’t need a ‘The Internet is for Porn’ t-shirt. And you don’t need one either. Where in the world do you think you’re going to wear it? You can’t wear it to school.”

“Well, no. I suppose with my luck, Figgins would actually choose to be a principal for once and send me home for that. Hey, there’s an idea!”

“ _NO,_ Blaine.”

“Well, I could wear it around my house.”

“Not while I’m around.”

“But _KURT,_ no one will see it.”

“I will. And that’s one person too many.”

“Ugh, fine. You’re such a party pooper.”

“I prefer to think that I’m the one who actually brings some maturity to this relationship.”

“ _More like anal-retentiveness,_ ” Blaine mumbled.

“What was that?”

“ _NOTHING, DEAR,”_ Blaine said exaggeratedly.

“That’s better,” Kurt smiled.

Blaine turned back to peruse the merchandise once again and Kurt noticed that the person running the stand had been listening to their entire conversation and was trying not to laugh. Kurt shrugged as if to say, What are ya gonna do? and joined Blaine.

After some discussion, Kurt relented and agreed that if Blaine truly wanted something that said The Internet is for Porn, the Trekkie Monster mousepad would be a much better choice, just as long as Blaine promised that, when they moved to New York and set up their place together, Blaine would put it away whenever Kurt’s parents visited.

“Kurt, you know your parents are co – you know what? Never mind. I’m not even going to argue,” he decided, and went ahead to purchase his hard-won prize. Kurt asked for his poster and grabbed a souvenir program as well, figuring it would have some funny stuff inside, and he wasn’t wrong – it would be a great read.

An usher called to the gathering crowd announcing that seating would begin. The auditorium wasn’t huge – it was just 499 seats (one more seat and it would’ve been considered a Broadway show rather than an off-Broadway show), so nearly every seat was good. Their seats were approximately halfway back on the right side, and Kurt was pleased to find that there didn’t appear to anything blocking his view.

In this theatre, drink service was available. A server came around and offered them a “ten dollar bad idea,” which turned out to be a good sized Long Island Iced Tea. Blaine looked intrigued by the idea, but Kurt quickly reminded him of a) his age, and b) his track record with alcohol. Blaine argued that he could “totally pass for 21,” but Kurt told him, “Booze makes you kiss girls. _GIRLS,_ Blaine. With BOOBS.” Blaine, looking sufficiently chastised, decided to wait until intermission to get a soda. Kurt grabbed his hand and smiled.

The curtain went up and the show began. Right out of the gate, the show was hysterical, but Kurt found himself watching Blaine almost as much as he watched the show. He could live on Blaine’s smiles and laughter. Blaine assured him all the time that he was happy and had everything he needed in life, but the smiles didn’t always go to his eyes. Eyes were very telling, and what they told Kurt was that, Blaine still had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Being on your own while still in high school was TOUGH , and it occasionally took its toll. He laughed and smiled a lot, but not as much as a typical high-schooler should, and Kurt enjoyed watching Blaine giggle furiously at perverted songs and silly puppets.

Kurt and Blaine were already holding hands, but Kurt pulled Blaine even closer to him. As Kurt was sitting to Blaine’s right, and they were sitting on the right side of the stage, it was convenient and comfortable for Blaine to snuggle up into Kurt’s side and rest his head on Kurt’s shoulder to watch the rest of the show. Kurt whispered “I love you” to Blaine, and just as Blaine was about to smile at Kurt and return the sentiment, he was distracted by the promised puppet sex, and Kurt just shook his head.

 _I am in love with a pervert,_ he thought.

**xXxXxXx**

“ _Because you see if it were me, I would feel free to say that I was gay (but I'm not gay)_ ,” Blaine sang as they walked back to their hotel after the show.

Kurt stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at him. “Really, Blaine? Not only are you actually gay, but you are doing just about the gayest thing you could possibly be doing right now by prancing down the street singing show tunes wearing a bowtie and short pants. I mean, REALLY. Could you possibly BE more gay?”

Blaine abandoned his prancing (and yes, he really was prancing), in favor of a slightly more gender-neutral saunter. “I could be Big Gay Al. He’s more gay than I am.”

“Oh puh-lease. Switch out your polo for a Hawaiian shirt and your bow tie for a scarf and we’ll have Big Gay Blaine right here.”

“But I don’t have a big gay lion. _ROAR,”_ he said, getting right up into Kurt’s face as he roared.

Kurt pointed off into the distance. “Central Park Zoo, right over there.”

“That’s not a big gay lion there, Kurt. That’s Alex the lion from Madagascar.”

“Go ahead, tell me to my face that Alex is not gay.”

Blaine paused to think for a moment. “Point taken.”

 


	51. Chapter 51

“Mmmm Blaine, turn off the alarm,” Kurt mumbled the next morning.

Blaine’s hand snaked out from beneath the covers and began pounding the nightstand randomly until he managed to find and hit the snooze button on the clock. But no matter how hard or often he made contact with the clock, the noise just wouldn’t stop.

“Blaaaaaaaaaaaaine, turn it offffffffffffff already,” Kurt whined.

“I’m _trying_ but this fucker just won’t. shut. UP,” Blaine said, rapidly getting frustrated.

Kurt sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his knuckles. Gradually gaining more and more consciousness, he realized that Blaine’s efforts were worthless. “Blaine, that’s not the alarm.”

“Well what the hell is it, then? Make it STOP.”

Kurt crawled out of the snug cocoon he had made for himself between Blaine and the blankets and followed the sound to the window. He opened the curtains and looked outside, and immediately did a double take. “What in the WORLD…??”

By then, Blaine had finished using the alarm clock as a punching bag and padded over to the window to join Kurt and see what the commotion was. “The fuck?” he said in surprise. “Kurt, am I seeing things?”

“If you’re seeing a giant inflatable RAT outside the hotel across the street, then either we both ARE seeing things or we both are NOT seeing things.”

“Oh my god, is that an inflatable cockroach they’re blowing up at the back of the truck there?”

Kurt shuddered. “Yep, that’s a roach all right. I wonder what that’s all about and why they feel they must do something about it at…” he looked at the alarm clock that was still managing to function even after the beating Blaine had given it, “7:12am? How _rude,_ ” he said in his best Stephanie Tanner voice.

Blaine sighed. “Well, we’re up now. We might as well grab some breakfast and go through these housing ads we picked up yesterday. The gang will be here tomorrow and once they get here, our free time is going to be GONE.”

They decided that, in the interest of getting an early start, they would perform their morning bathroom routines separately. Once they were dressed in clothing appropriate for apartment hunting, they headed to the hotel lobby to take advantage of the free continental breakfast (one of the main reasons they chose that hotel), and sat down at a table with their ads and Kurt’s laptop. They read each ad together, and as they found one that looked okay, Kurt would make a note of it on his computer and plot out the address on a map. When they had a list of possibilities, they ranked them and called the agents to make appointments to see them that day. By the time they were done, they had a list of half a dozen apartments to see, most of them stretching the upper limits of their price range, but they expected that after getting the reality slapped into them by their bus tour guide.

Kurt finished his now-soggy bowl of corn flakes while Blaine inhaled the last of his donut (“ _with rainbow sprinkles, Kurt! I love sprinkles!”)_ and chugged down one last glass of orange juice. Kurt was glad for the free meal – he himself ate what he considered a normal amount of food, but Blaine’s appetite could stretch the budget on occasion.

Upon speaking with the hotel doorman, who was really sweet and was happy to talk to anyone who acknowledged his presence, Kurt and Blaine learned that the racket that woke them was a group of protesting hotel workers fed up with the working conditions. They were happy to be told that the group of protesters usually didn’t stay in front of the same place very long (they represented workers of many different hotels) and that they didn’t usually protest at the same place two days in a row. They sighed in relief knowing that it was unlikely that their sleep would be interrupted again before they went home. “Remind me, though, to make sure that any apartment we are interested is NOT located on the same block as a hotel,” Kurt said to Blaine. Blaine nodded in agreement. New York was noisy enough – they didn’t want to invite trouble.

The doorman was also kind enough to tell them which bus and subway routes would be best to get to some of the addresses on their list. Both the subway and the bus went to pretty much anywhere, but the first apartment was farther away from where they were than the rest of them, so they decided to be brave and try the subway for the first time.

They located a subway entrance with the correct route on the sign and made their way down underneath the streets. They took a moment to look around and get their bearings, and then made their way over to a vending machine selling MetroCards. After doing a little bit of quick math, they decided that a pay-per-ride would be the best value for them that day – when they moved there, they would be taking advantage of the unlimited ride passes, but since they would only be on their own for one day more, the unlimited ride passes weren’t necessary.

After a little bit of running around, they successfully found the train they were supposed to be on and began their journey to the first apartment.

“This is so exciting!” Kurt said, wiggling in his seat. “I feel so….grown up going house hunting with you!”

“And you have the nerve to call ME hyper,” Blaine joked. “But I love it too. I can’t wait to find our place, move in, watch you decorate it as fabulously as possible within our budget and whatever limitations there are in our lease, wake up with you every morning, fall asleep with you every night…”

Kurt snuggled up closer to Blaine. “Some people’s idea of Heaven is endless wealth, no responsibility, unlimited sexual partners with no consequences… mine is sitting right here next to me.” Kurt jumped. “Eek!” he squeaked. “The cold hands up the back of my shirt when I’m not looking were NOT part of the vision, Blaine!”

Blaine cackled evilly. “I have to take my chances when I can get them!”

Kurt raised his eyebrow into his patented Kurt Hummel bitchbrow just as their stop was announced. “I will save my death glare for another time, Mr. Anderson. Be afraid, and watch your ass.”

“No, thanks, I’d rather watch yours.”

“Just get off the damn train before it leaves again with us on it,” Kurt ordered as he shoved Blaine gently ahead of him. “Now, according to the map, the apartment should be just a couple of blocks…” He paused, getting himself reoriented. “…over that way,” he said, pointing north.

“Sounds good. I’ll trust you. Let’s get moving, though. We’ve only got ten minutes before the agent is supposed to be there so we should walk fast.”

**xXxXxXx**

“Kurt and Blaine?” A woman in a (highly unflattering, Kurt thought) skirt suit addressed them as they jogged up to the building.

“Yes, we’re sorry if we kept you waiting. It was our first time navigating the subway,” Kurt apologized.

“No, no worries. I was already here, just checking to make sure the apartment was ready to show. My name is Sherry. Let’s, uh, take a look, shall we?” Sherry eyed the boys uneasily. Kurt wondered to himself if she might be a little homophobic, but tried to push the thought out of his mind. He knew homophobes were everywhere, but he kind of assumed people in such an occupation would be a little more open-minded.

As they climbed the stairs to the apartment (there was no elevator as this was not a traditional apartment building – it was merely a storefront at street level with a few units above), Kurt began to understand why Sherry had developed such a sour face. She opened the door and led them inside.

The boys both stopped dead, right in the doorway.

“BLAINE! This looks just like the place they filmed _Joe’s Apartment_!” Kurt hissed.

“I kinda liked that movie,” Blaine said thoughtfully.

“Well, I did too, but I don’t want to LIVE it! Singing and dancing COCKROACHES, Blaine.”

“Hey, those cockroaches were pretty talented. All those carefully choreographed numbers in the toilet…”

“Blaine!”

“And they were rather sweet, once Joe wasn’t trying to kill them…”

“BLAINE! Concentrate! This is NOT our new home. Sherry?” The agent, who was shuffling about the space waiting for Blaine and Kurt to finish their conversation, looked up at Kurt questioningly. “I’m sorry to have taken up your time, but this apartment is nothing like we were hoping for.”

She nodded understandingly. “I knew from the moment I saw both of you that it probably wouldn’t be. You two both appear to require something a little more…clean.”

Kurt sighed in relief. He was glad to have confirmation that Sherry’s reaction wasn’t them, it was the space. “Right, exactly. We kind of expect our first apartment in New York to be somewhat of a hovel, but this is pushing it.”

The three of them shook hands and made their way back down to the street. After the boys thanked her for her time, she confided in them, saying, “I heard your conversation earlier, and I just wanted to say, you’re not far off about _Joe’s Apartment._ That was filmed down the street.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know where Joe’s Apartment was filmed. I just thought it was funny to have her say that.


	52. Chapter 52

The more apartments they looked at, the more discouraged and disheartened Kurt became. Blaine was a bit more open-minded about their options since he wasn’t the fussy one of the two of them, but he had to admit that he really did not want to live in any of the places he had seen, either. One apartment was almost right on top of a train track, and it seemed like there was constantly a train passing by. And it was LOUD. Another building looked as if it was going to crumble if they so much as sneezed in the wrong direction. The one that grossed both boys out the most looked like the “after” shot of a home cleaned out by the TV show _Hoarders._ The shot right after all the grime and filth and disease had been shoveled out by the removal crew and before the cleaners had gotten a chance to work their magic. Kurt walked in the door, took one sniff, gagged, and turned around, yelling “You have GOT to be kidding me” as he ran back down the three flights of stairs they had just climbed.

They decided to give up for the time being and go back to their hotel room to await the New Directions’ arrival. To save the others some money, Kurt and Blaine, who had a double queen room, would be sharing their room with Rachel and Mercedes when they arrived. Finn was offered first dibs due to his status as Kurt’s brother, but he scrunched up his face and said, “Dude, you’re my brother and I love you, and it’s totally cool that you’re gay and all, but the fact that I don’t want to see two dudes getting it on has never and will never change. I’ll room with some of the other guys, and you two can have Mercedes and Rachel since they’re used to you guys sleeping on top of each other.” Kurt did nothing but roll his eyes and shake his head. Some things would never change.

Kurt was leaning up against the window sill, looking out the window from their eighth floor hotel room. He heaved a big sigh and said, “Blaine, all of these places are terrible! And these are the ones that looked GOOD in the ads! What are we going to do if they are all like this?”

“I don’t know, baby, but I choose to believe that the ones with good sounding ads are good sounding because they were played up specifically to disguise the hell that lay inside. Maybe we should focus on the plain, completely unembellished ads and see what that brings us. Or maybe, just to give us time to look for more options, we could find a sublet. There have got to be better places than these to live in in New York or only the people who would rather live like vermin instead of like human beings would actually live here.”

Blaine walked over to Kurt and gently grabbed his shoulders, turning Kurt around to face him. Immediately he noticed that Kurt’s ever-changing eyes, which were ice blue that day because of the shirt he was wearing, were filled with tears that were moments from spilling over.

“Hey, hey, hey, sweetheart! Don’t cry! We are going to figure this out. You are _Kurt Hummel,_ and you will not let something like a shithole apartment slow you down.”

Kurt dropped down on the side of the bed and said in a small voice, “I don’t know, Blaine. It all seems so hopeless. There were no redeeming qualities about ANY of those places.”

Blaine sat down next to Kurt and grabbed his hand. “Don’t give up hope. _Ever._ Come on. Let’s grab our ads and your computer and head down to the lobby or Starbucks or something and take another scan through the listings. We don’t have to be at rehearsal for the competition either tomorrow or Sunday before noon. We can probably see a few more places before we have to go home.”

“But Mr. Schuester will freak out if we’re not with the group at all times,” Kurt worried.

“With all due respect to Mr. Schue, screw him. For one thing, you and I are probably the only two in the group besides Rachel to know our music backwards and forwards and every direction in between. We will be okay without the extra rehearsal. And Kurt, this is our _lives_ we’re talking about. National show choir competitions are important, but we are too. More so.” He wrapped his arm around Kurt’s waist and snuggled him tight. “It’s gonna be okay, Kurt. I don’t know it, but I can feel it.”

Kurt wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve, a sure sign that Kurt was more upset and worried than he was letting on, and whispered, “Okay. I believe you. It…it’s gonna be okay.” His voice was shaky and unsure, but he forced determination into his tone.

“It’s GOING to be okay,” Blaine agreed.

“It’s going to be fine.”

“It will.”

Suddenly, Kurt burst out with, “ _So watch me fly, we all know I can do it…”_

Blaine chuckled. “I always know you’re going to be okay when you can break out into old standards.”

“I have to believe it will be okay. What else can I do?”

“Exactly. Now come on, I hear a venti non-fat mocha calling your name.”

**xXxXxXx**

By the time they had to return to their hotel to greet their friends from home, they had a few more appointments booked to see apartments. Kurt was even cautiously optimistic, though “I don’t know why, there was absolutely nothing exciting about any of those ads.” Which was true – the ones they chose said nothing more than the size of the apartment and the location. “We don’t even know if there are any closets, Blaine!”

“Kurt, just chill. We can’t do anything about it now.” Blaine stood up and slipped his shoes on. “I just got a text from Mike. The whole crew is just now walking up to the hotel and getting ready to check in. Let’s go down and have a couple more key cards made for the girls and see what our plans are for the evening.”

Upon arriving downstairs in the lobby, Kurt and Blaine were able to hear the tail-end of a list of instructions Mr. Schuester was giving to the others. “Now, it’s been a long day, so I don’t have anything scheduled for tonight. Feel free to go upstairs and get settled into your rooms. Your permission slips from your parents state that you are allowed to go in a two block radius of Times Square in any direction. Please don’t abuse the privilege – there is more than plenty in that stretch of space for you to see, and I can NOT afford to have to pull any of you from the competition at the last minute. Please think of the rest of the group before you are tempted to make any bad choices, all right?” He received a murmur of agreement from all members of the New Directions, some more reluctant than others, before continuing on. “Tomorrow morning at breakfast, we will vote on the activity we will do as a group tomorrow evening after our first round of competition.  I will be in room 302 and will be there the entire evening. Miss Pillsbury will be in 307. If you choose to leave the hotel to explore, please stop by either of our rooms on your way out and your way back in to let us know. Be sure to be back by 11pm. Have fun, everyone.”

A rumble of conversation started up immediately as the rest of the group began making plans and decided who all would room together. Blaine walked up to Mr. Schuester and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Oh hey, hi guys,” he said. “How’s your trip been so far?”

“It’s been really good, Mr. Schue. But we have a couple things we need to discuss with you.”

Kurt and Blaine began to tell Mr. Schue the relevant details of their previous few days in the “big city.” Mr. Schue nodded thoughtfully as they shared their plans to visit more apartments before they left.

“I really don’t know how on board I am with the idea of the two of you skipping out on practice with the group before the competition, boys. If it was anyone but you two… or perhaps Rachel… I would say no in a heartbeat. Shall I assume that you both will be going ahead with your plans regardless of what I say?”

“We respect your opinions, Mr. Schuester, but yes. We need to do this.”

“Well, then I wish you luck, boys. Just remember, though, that now that the rest of the team is here, you two are New Directions, first and foremost. Your obligation is to the team so please don’t let any of us down. If you are out and about and you are going to run out of time, you bail out of whatever you are doing and NOT us. I don’t think I need to worry about you two – I’d worry more if you were Santana and Puck – but just the same, make sure you show up on time for everything you are supposed to show up for. Okay?”

“Absolutely,” Blaine said. “You don’t need to worry about us.”

“Will you be joining us for breakfast in the morning?” Mr. Schuester asked.

“No,” Kurt shook his head. “If we’re to get these apartment viewings done, we’re going to need to leave earlier than you’ll be able to pry nearly any of the rest of the gang out of bed. I recommend a chisel and a crowbar if you ever need to get Finn up before daybreak.”

“I seem to remember him being particularly difficult to wake up in the morning.”

Kurt laughed humorlessly. “You have no idea what an understatement that is.”

All three laughed, and Mr. Schuester asked Kurt and Blaine what their plans for the rest of the evening were.

“Now that my girls are here,” Kurt decided, “I think we will all just cuddle up with some movies and munchies and stay in for the night. We’ve been running around like crazy the past couple of days and we’re tired.”

“That’s good to hear. Not that you’re tired, of course, but that I have four less people to worry about for the evening. I can focus my attention on some of the others.”

“Good plan,” Blaine agreed. “No worries. We will stay out of your hair.”

The three bade each other good night and started to walk in opposite directions from each other before Kurt remembered something. “Wait, Mr. Schuester!” he called.

“What is it, Kurt?”

“You mentioned something about voting on tomorrow night’s activity at breakfast tomorrow, but since we won’t be there, we’d like to submit our two cents. See, while we were here, Blaine and I had this idea…”


	53. Chapter 53

“Blaine, wake up!” Blaine felt his body being jiggled and tried his hardest to ignore it, but the disturbance was quite persistent. “Blaine, get UP. We’re going to be late, and I have plans!”

“Fine, I’ll get up, stop shaking me!” Blaine said, though it sounded much more like “Mmmphhmph grmpnhph” because of how deeply Blaine’s face was buried in his pillow. However garbled, Kurt caught his meaning and got off the bed, leaving Blaine alone to attempt to wake up and collect his thoughts.

“Good god, Kurt, it’s 5am! Our first appointment isn’t until 8! Why are we up?” Blaine turned his head away from the alarm clock to look at Kurt, who he noticed was completely dressed and perfectly coiffed already. “And you must’ve been up for an hour already – look at you! I mean, you look amazing as usual and all, but are you insane?”

“Come on, just get dressed, run a comb through the explosion on your head, and let’s go!” Blaine looked at Kurt with a raised, triangular eyebrow. “Please, Blaine? Just trust me. This’ll be fun, okay?”

“All right, babe, but this better be good if you’re going to get me up well before the asscrack of dawn to run around the city.”

Kurt bounced excitedly and smiled brightly. “You won’t regret this!”

Blaine stealthily moved about the room getting dressed and groomed as quickly as he could. “How is it that those two aren’t awake yet?” he asked, referring to Mercedes and Rachel.

“Well, ‘Cedes has always been a deep sleeper –she doesn’t even move when she sleeps. She’ll be in the same position when she wakes as she was in when she fell asleep. Rach has had to learn to block out all outside noises if she wants to get any sleep when Finn’s around. He sounds like a lumberjack competition with all the snoring he does. Our parents no longer mind if she and Finn spend nights together on occasion, especially since I spend the night with you a lot, but she doesn’t stay with him often purely because she struggles to get enough sleep. It’s gotten better, but it’s still not ideal.”

“Ugh, thank god we don’t have that problem. If we only spent an occasional night together, I’d self-combust.”

“Not before you developed carpal tunnel and calluses on your hand,” Kurt teased.

“You might think you’re being funny, but that could probably actually happen,” Blaine said seriously. For a moment, anyway, until he and Kurt both burst out laughing.

“My dad DID say that once I started doing this, I’d want to do it all the time. He wasn’t wrong.”

Kurt began to look at Blaine with a certain glint in his eyes, but Blaine asked, “Didn’t you have some plans for us this morning?” which served to snap him right out of his haze.

“Oh. Um, yes. Okay. Are you ready?” Blaine nodded in confirmation. “Okay, then, let’s go!”

Kurt dragged Blaine out of their hotel and into the Starbucks a block away. He placed their usual coffee order and added some cinnamon chip and cranberry orange scones to their bill. Once they were armed with steaming hot drinks and a bag full of baked goods, Kurt ushered Blaine to the curb and hailed a cab. “Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, please,” he told the cabbie, and the taxi took off with a lurch, almost spilling their coffees.

“Phew, good thing these things have lids on them,” Blaine noted.

“Yeah, otherwise the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission would be receiving a dry cleaning bill and a strongly worded letter,” Kurt said disdainfully. “Coffee is NOT a Kurt Hummel approved accessory.”

Blaine laughed and snaked his free arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, giving him a tight squeeze. “You are adorable. Now, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“No! It’s a surprise! Besides, we’re almost there, and you’ll catch on as soon as we get there.”

True to Kurt’s word, within moments, the cabbie was cranking the wheel toward the curb and Kurt tossed some money in the front seat for him. He slid out first and then reached inside to help Blaine out. “Don’t forget the pastries!” he cried. “They’re important!”

Blaine turned and grabbed the bag of food and scrambled out onto the sidewalk. Once the taxi had flown away in search of another fare, Blaine took another sip of his coffee and said, “Well, we’re here, wherever here is. What’s this all about, Kurt?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Really, Blaine? Okay, I’ll humor you. Take a look around.  Tell me what you see.”

“Hmmm… I see lots of tall buildings, a bunch of people just as bleary-eyed as I am at this early hour…” He looked at Kurt, who was looking back at him expectantly and bouncing a bit on his toes. “Kurt, what is it that I’m supposed to figure… ooohhhhhh,” he said, the light bulb finally flickering on. “We’re at TIFFANY’S, Kurt! And we have coffee and scones and it’s morning… we’re having breakfast at _Tiffany’s_!”

Kurt squealed and clapped his hands. “Yay! You figured it out! Rachel surprised me with this last year and it was so amazing. I wanted so badly to share the same experience with you, especially since I know this is one of your favorite movies. What do you think?”

“I think I love this. And I KNOW I love you. Thanks, Kurt! This is so cool!”

Blaine pulled Kurt to the door where the word Tiffany’s could be seen on the window. They both held up their pastries and Blaine took a picture of them with his cell phone to commemorate their breakfast at Tiffany’s. After Blaine had satisfactorily captured the memory, they leaned up against the building and munched on their food, lost in thought.

“Do you think we’ll have more luck today?” Kurt asked.

“I sure hope so,” Blaine replied. “I’d like to think we got our share of the bad apartment-hunting juju out of the way already.”

Unfortunately, Blaine was wrong. The very first place they were scheduled to see that morning was a disaster. A flustered agent came rushing up to meet them as soon as they walked up. “I swear, this just happened overnight, I had no idea…” Blaine and Kurt were lost until they saw a brightly colored “Condemned Property” notice hanging on the door to the very building they were supposed to visit.

“Um, I’m really sorry, but condemned properties usually don’t just become so bad they need to be condemned overnight. Were you really going to send people into a building that could probably literally fall apart right around them as they walked inside?”

The agent wrung her hands and looked down at the ground nervously. “It’s been a hard market and I’ve been desperate to show anything. I’m sorry.”

Kurt and Blaine shook their heads and left the building without another word. They walked for a few moments until they reached a subway entrance. “Come on sweetie, cheer up!” Blaine enthused. “We were so happy this morning at Tiffany’s. Let’s try to get back to that. Let’s go to the next place. We can scope out the neighborhood when we get there.”

They arrived at their other stop of the morning about twenty minutes early. They were prepared to wander around for a bit when they noticed a sign on the door. “ **Kurt & Blaine – walk right up when you get here, just tidying in preparation for your arrival. #304**” and it was signed with the name of the rental agent.

“Well, she’s early, that’s a plus. Let’s just hope tidying doesn’t mean bulldozing,” Kurt said facetiously.

Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand and pulled open the door to the building. “I have a good feeling about this place. Shall we go up?”

Kurt nodded.

They climbed the three flights of stairs (“The stairs aren’t too narrow, which is good. Furniture won’t be so hard to bring up,” Kurt noted) and rapped on the cracked-open door of #304. “Come on in, folks!” a gentle voice called.

They opened the door and walked in. “Well, it doesn’t stink like decaying cats in here,” Blaine quipped. “It’s already way better than at least three of the places we’ve already looked at!”

Blaine introduced himself to the agent, but Kurt stood in one spot, slowly turning around and staring at the space, ignoring the others. “Honey, don’t be rude!” Blaine said, tapping Kurt on the shoulder to break him out of his reverie.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Kurt apologized. “I’m just standing here reveling in the fact that this may be the first place we’ve seen so far that can NOT be accurately described with the word ‘hellhole.’”

The rental agent, who had introduced herself as Judy, smiled. “I hope that’s not a bad thing,” she said.

“No, not at all! This place actually isn’t too bad. Well, I mean, the view sucks, and so does the floor plan, because I am so not digging the railroad-style layout, but I smell flowers instead of poop, the walls look like I can lean up against them without them disintegrating, and I don’t see any cockroaches that might like to sing and dance in my toilet, so I could actually work with this.” He stopped to consider the space carefully. “The kitchen, though,” he said sadly. “There is absolutely no room for me to cook or bake. It looks like straight bachelors designed it.” He moved from the kitchen to the bedroom and came right back out. “There’s not a single closet in that room.”

“There’s a closet out here,” Judy pointed out, pulling open a tiny door near the main door.

“Oh my gosh, no,” Kurt disagreed. “That’s not a closet, that’s a tease.”

Blaine, who had been standing in the doorway while he allowed his boyfriend to assess the apartment, spoke up. “I’m sorry, Judy, but I don’t think this place is going to work out for us. Kurt has a wardrobe the size of a small thrift store – “

“Not thrift store. Upscale resale shop, thank you very much,” Kurt interrupted.

“Okay, he has a wardrobe the size of a small upscale resale shop,” Kurt nodded his head in satisfaction, “and I’m afraid that without even one single regular sized closet, he is going to go crazy.” Blaine raised his hand to the side of his mouth, as if to speak privately to Judy, though they all knew Kurt could hear anyway. “And between you, me, and the wall, Kurt’s already there, and we can’t afford for it to get worse,” he said playfully.

“HEY!” Kurt said sharply with fake indignation. He knew Blaine was just joking, and it really was kind of true.

“But,” Blaine continued. “I wanted to ask you if you had any other properties available that fit our requirements that you could recommend. You’re the only agent who has been honest with us so far, and maybe anything else you could show us might not waste anybody’s time.”

Judy stood thinking for a moment, tapping her finger against her lips as she mentally ran through her listings. “You know, there is one more place I could show you. It’s not quite ready for showing yet as the renters are only beginning the process of finding a new place – don’t worry, though, they plan on being long gone by the time you’d need it - but they’re reasonably clean people and have let me know that they don’t mind drop-ins as long as it’s between certain hours of the day.” She looked at her watch. It was just barely before 10:30am. “They said any time after 10:30 would be good, and by the time we got over there it’d be after. It’s only a couple of blocks from here, a few minutes’ walk. Do you have time to go over there now?”

Kurt considered it but hesitated. “I don’t really know if we have time to go over there, Blaine. We really need to be back at the hotel by eleven to get our costumes on and get to the competition by noon.”

“Costumes?” Judy asked.

“Show choir competition,” Blaine and Kurt said in unison.

“Kurt, we could still do it if we splurge on another cab instead of the subway like we had planned.”

Kurt was torn – he was desperate to see the apartment ever since he heard the words “reasonably clean people,” but he did not want to let Mr. Schuester or the team down by being late. Nor did he really want to spend any more money on cab fare; any extra money spent now was that much less money they could put towards their move to New York that fall.

“Okay,” he finally decided. “But let’s book it over there. I don’t want to go on stage with anything less than perfect hair today. Which means that I need every minute I had planned for. Unlike SOME people, I can’t dip my head in a vat of hair gel and be all set.”

“But you threw away my vats of gel and only let me carry one small jar for use during competition,” Blaine argued.

“So not the point, Blaine. Come on – I’ve got my shopping shoes on, which are equally good for speed-walking. Let’s get on out of here and check out the other place.”

“I think you’re making the right choice,” Judy said as they walked. “You can always come back another time if you want to take a better look. This way, you will know whether or not it’s worth it.”

They walked quickly in silence, though on occasion Judy would point out a subway entrance or a corner mom and pop restaurant that was popular with the locals. When they arrived, Judy pressed a button on the intercom, identified herself, and received access to the building with a loud buzz. She led them up four flights of stairs (“One thing about New York, we’ll get lots of exercise,” Blaine said cheerily) and rapped on the door of number 401. “Good morning, Judy!” a small man enthusiastically greeted her, air kissing both cheeks. “Honey, come say hello to Judy!” he called back into the apartment.

A slightly older and taller man peered out the door beside him. “Simon, where are your manners? Let the woman in! Oh, and I see she has two young gentlemen with her this time! Oh, they’re adorable. Come in boys!”

Blaine and Kurt shared a big smile. There was no question, these men were partners. Blaine whispered in Kurt’s ear, “I think it’s a sign!”

Kurt nodded silently but kept the grin on his face.

The three were ushered into the home by the older man and he held his hand out for the boys to shake. “I’m Liam, though god knows why I have an Irish name when I’m almost full-blooded Italian!” he laughed.

Both Kurt and Blaine instantly liked the couple that lived there. They hoped it boded well for the actual apartment.

“Well, go ahead, boys,” Simon offered. “Judy says you are on a tight schedule today, so feel free to have the run of the apartment. We left all our toys in the drawer today, so you shouldn’t come across anything embarrassing.” Kurt and Blaine burst into laughter, and Blaine couldn’t resist singing a few bars of _When I Get You Alone_ to Kurt as Kurt just face palmed. Repeatedly. Simon and Liam looked amused while Judy just looked a little flustered.

“Private joke,” Kurt muttered to her while grabbing Blaine’s arm and dragging him to the next room in the apartment.

“Just remember, boys, this isn’t your place yet!” Simon called with a hint of mischief in his voice.

“Do they seriously think we’re going to do anything in their home, Blaine? Did we give them that impression?” Kurt asked.

“Relax, baby. They just know how it is to be desperately in love with their partner. They’ve been there too. They’re just playing.”

Kurt finally looked up from studying his shoes in embarrassment to take in the apartment. Their flight from the main living area landed them in the kitchen. “Oh wow, this is like, an _actual_ kitchen, Blaine. I mean, the appliances are ANCIENT and we will probably need to buy new hamsters every so often to keep them running, but I can work with that.” He opened and shut a few cabinet doors and drawers randomly. It helped to have someone else’s things in the space to help them judge what they’d have room for. Simon and Liam had a tiny two person dining table nestled in the corner and a free standing tall cabinet against the wall opposite the sink, but it worked. “It’ll need some sprucing up, though.”

Blaine could care less about the décor in the kitchen, or in the rest of the apartment, for that matter. He was just enjoying the big smile that had _finally_ erased the stressed out look on Kurt’s face. Kurt eagerly dragged Blaine to the next room, which was a tiny bathroom. “Hmm, just as sparse as the rest, but at least there’s a little countertop space on the vanity. This is good.” The current owners had a small cabinet above the toilet, which Kurt noted as a good idea. “I don’t know what anyone was thinking when they installed, (gag), MAUVE fixtures, but I can see if I can come up with some sort of color palette that may hide its hideousness.”

 _So far, so good,_ Blaine thought to himself.

They finally landed in the last and most anticipated room, the bedroom. This was only a one bedroom apartment, so there wasn’t much to see. The bedroom was basically a blank slate. There was nothing there for Kurt to work with, but as he pointed out, there was nothing there that he had to disguise or fix, either, so it could’ve been far worse. “We’re going to have to go with a full sized bed instead of the queen we wanted if we ever want to be able to move around the room, though.”

Blaine scoffed. “Like I’m going to complain about any chance to be closer to you, Kurt.”

“Yeah, but you cling to me like a koala in your sleep, Blaine. And you’re WARM. Like, boiling. Part of why we work is my ability to roll away from you and cool down at random points during the night.”

“We can make it work,” Blaine said softly, but Kurt wasn’t listening to him. He was too busy exclaiming over the fact that, first, there WAS a closet, and second, that it was a walk-in. It was a teeny tiny walk in, but it was more space than he figured he’d be afforded.

Kurt finally pulled himself out of the surprising closet and bounced over to Blaine. “Blaine! Blaine! Blaine!” he said excitedly.

“What? What? What?” Blaine asked back.

“Dork,” Kurt said. “But Blaine! Guess what?”

“You’re channeling Tigger.”

“I repeat. Dork. What I was going to say is, this place doesn’t suck!!”

Blaine grinned. “I know. I figured that much out by my very own self.”

Kurt slugged him gently on the shoulder. “Stop teasing me. But seriously. This place isn’t perfect. It is FAR from perfect and needs a lot of work. But it also doesn’t need to be bulldozed. Which makes this place just about perfect for us!”

“Shall we go out and talk to Judy?”

“Yes! Then we can be on our – shit! Oh shit! Oh my god, Blaine!” Kurt had looked at his cell phone and started freaking out. “It’s 11:15, Blaine! And we haven’t even been back to the hotel! I’m going to look horrible on stage today. I really needed this time to do my hair and – “

“Kurt.” Blaine put his hands on Kurt’s shoulders and squeezed, grounding him. “It’s okay. You look amazing. I know I always tell you that you do, but it’s really true.”

“But certainly I must be windblown by now.”

“You aren’t.” Blaine tapped the top of Kurt’s hair, and he heard a crackle. “You must have half your can of hairspray on your head right now. You’re FINE. Just calm down. Look at me.”

Kurt tilted his head up to meet Blaine’s gaze and looked him straight in the eye. “Now, we’re going to go out there, apologize for rushing off, and tell Judy to put our names down on this place until we can talk to her tomorrow morning. Then we are going to grab a cab, go back to the hotel for our stuff, and have the cab wait for us so it can drop us off at the auditorium for the competition. We will change there, and then we can ride back afterward with the team. Okay?”

Kurt always admired Blaine for his ability to calm him down and stay level headed when he himself wanted to do nothing but have a panic attack. “Okay. I trust you. This will work.”

After grabbing Judy’s card and making a promise to call her in the morning, and after thanking Simon and Liam for their time, Kurt and Blaine flew out the door. Kurt busied himself with texting Mr. Schuester to assure him that they would be arriving soon while Blaine hailed a cab. This being a semi-residential area, fewer taxis trolled the streets looking for fares, but it only took a couple minutes longer than usual to grab an empty cab and be on their way. They made a fast dash up to their room to sweep a few necessary toiletries into a bag and grab the garment bag with their competition outfits in it and rushed back out to the waiting car. Despite a few patches of Saturday noontime traffic, they managed to arrive at the auditorium almost exactly on time. “We have GOT to stop doing this ‘slide in in the nick of time’ thing,” Kurt commented.

“I agree,” said Mr. Schuester, walking up behind them. “Cutting it close again, boys.”

Blaine went on the defensive a bit. “We are on time, Mr. Schue. We haven’t forgotten our promise to you and our commitment to the team.”

Mr. Schuester’s attitude softened slightly. “I know. It’s just that we can’t win without you two. We NEED you, and I get nervous when you’re not here.”

The boys accepted Mr. Schuester’s unspoken apology. “For the record,” Kurt said, “it was worth nearly not making it here.”

“You found a place?”

“It’s not ideal, but nothing in our price range is going to be ideal. It’s got locks on the doors, plumbing and appliances that work, and there are no chainsaw-wielding psychos in hockey masks lurking about, so it’s pretty decent for our price range.”

 


	54. Chapter 54

 “I’m happy for you boys,” Mr. Schue said sincerely. “Now come on. I left the others in charge of warm-ups while I checked out here for you two. Now that you’re here, we can really get this show on the road.” They walked in silence to their private rehearsal room and joined in on the vocal warm-ups the rest of the team were running through. In the absence of Brad (competition accompanists were provided for all teams), Tina was at the piano leading the group through scales. After a few minutes, everyone’s voices were sufficiently limber and ready to go. Kurt and Blaine ducked out immediately after to quickly change into their performance outfits and re-primp as necessary.

When they returned, Mr. Schuester gathered everyone together for their “pregame” pep talk and information session. “Now, we’re not going to be able to run through things on stage. However, with our group being just barely over minimum competition requirements, we won’t need to make any adjustments to our choreography to make up for a different sized stage than what we’re used to. We are not required to use all parts of the stage, so just carry on as you would at home and you’ll be fine.

“You guys have been absolutely amazing in all your rehearsals up until this point, and I am so glad that we’ve chosen to compete with our old favorites – you are so comfortable with them, and you enjoy them so much, and it will all show in your performance. I think the judges will be sufficiently wowed. And if not? What do we say, Kurt?”

Kurt thrust his fist into the air. “SCREW ‘EM!” The New Directions laughed and cheered, wholeheartedly sharing Kurt’s sentiments.

“Exactly!” said Mr. Schuester with a big grin on his face. “I know you all aren’t real big on team cheers, but for me? For old time’s sake?” He flattened his hand and put it out in front of him. The others followed suit and counted, “1, 2, 3… NEW DIRECTIONS!”

Kurt whispered in Blaine’s ear, “God, I hope no one else heard that. Once one hears Nude Erections, one cannot unhear it.”

Mr. Schuester, after collecting Miss Pillsbury from a sitting area out in the lobby, led the group to their assigned seating out in the auditorium. There were twenty groups scheduled to compete, and they had drawn performance slot number ten, much to everyone’s chagrin. Rachel had wailed that being in the middle of the order was the kiss of death and surely they’d be forgotten by the end of the performances and _what had they done_ to deserve such a horrible spot, but Finn dragged her aside and calmed her before following the rest of the team to their seats.

Each team was allotted fifteen minutes to perform and five minutes to get on and to vacate the stage. With the performances starting at 1pm, the New Directions would sing at approximately 4:20, and they would head backstage at 4pm to prepare and likely freak out a bit as well.

When the show choirs began to perform, the Glee kids started to get extra clingy with each other, needing more comfort than usual. These groups were _really_ good, and everyone was starting to get nervous. _Very_ nervous. Kurt discovered that the arms between the seats of the auditorium were moveable so he put the one between him and Blaine up and curled into Blaine’s arms, becoming so fidgety that he had to stop himself from chewing on his perfectly manicured fingernails more than once.

Blaine pulled Kurt’s hand from his mouth for the third time and murmured in his ear, “Relax, baby. We got this, remember?” Kurt nodded silently, never once dragging his attention away from the stage.

Finally it was 4pm and Mr. Schuester sent word up and down the rows of seats that it was time for them to head backstage to prepare to perform. There was some genuine surprise from a few people – everyone was so engrossed in the performances that the time had sped by more quickly than anyone had thought possible. They took a collective deep breath and rose from their seats, silently walking up the aisles toward the back doors of the auditorium. They managed to hold it together until they reached the green room just offstage, but once the door shut behind them, the room exploded in varying volumes of conversation.

“Did you _SEE_ that third group from Texas? Oh my _GOD…”_

“Is it just me or is everyone twice as good this year?”

“Everyone’s songs were so conservative this year! Is there another Tammy Jean Albertson judging or something?”

“God I hope not, or two gay boys singing _Perfect_ is NOT going to fly, New York or not…”

“I would have fallen flat on my ass if I had attempted that double back flip that group from California pulled off _en masse._ What kind of hell do these people put their choirs through to manage THAT?”

“Guys, guys, chill a minute,” Mr. Schuester said firmly, attempting to bring some order to the group. “Forget them. Forget ALL of them. I wavered between making you watch all the performances and allowing you to skip them for fear that they would psych you out, but I think you needed to watch them. You now know where the bar is, and now each one of you knows what you need to do as individuals to step up your own game and bring it. I know you guys – you are all ambitious, determined young men and women, and I KNOW you are in it to win it. Am I right?”

A chorus of rights and whistles and catcalls rose up from the group – there may have been just fourteen of them, but they could sound like fifty at times.

“Now, we have a couple more minutes – are there any parts of songs we need to run or any notes we need to iron out?” Everyone shook their heads. They had been performing these songs for so long that if anyone hit a bad note, it would be a big surprise to all. They knew these songs better than they would have if they had written them themselves. “Okay, good. Instead of a team cheer, I want a group hug, and I want you to all break as many figurative legs as you possibly can. You know I’m insanely proud of you whether you come in first or twentieth, but I truly believe you can bring home a trophy. Now, go on out there and have FUN!”

As they were in the middle of the most tightly squeezed group hug in existence, the voice of the emcee announcing the New Directions came over the intercom, and the room suddenly went eerily silent.

“All right, guys, Rachel and Finn, center stage, now. Go!” Mr. Schuester pushed them out the door and to the edge of the stage. They quickly composed themselves and strode confidently to their marks at the middle of the stage. They began to sing their _Sing_ number, and you would never know that Rachel was practically hysterical backstage, or that Finn had been shaking with nerves. They got into their groove just as the rest of the team trotted out on stage in from both sides and joined in on the chorus. They were on fire, their energy levels not a single bit below “crackling,” not a step missed or a note botched. They ended with their fists in the air and huge grins on their faces, panting somewhat from the exertion, but incredibly proud of their performance. It was a great way to open their set.

The lights dimmed, and the rest of the New Directions left Kurt and Blaine downstage and gathered in formation on the risers at the back of the stage. There was a single chair in the middle of the stage, turned backward, and Kurt straddled it, resting his arms on the back.

_Made a wrong turn, once or twice…_

Kurt sang his heart out, and when it was Blaine’s turn to join him, they blended seamlessly, effortlessly. Their chemistry was insane, and they couldn’t hide the fact that they were together even if they tried. They wouldn’t have wanted to, anyway; it was part of what made them the ultimate duet partners. Near the end of the song, the lights rose upstage on their team, who provided the background vocals to finish out the piece, and the two ended their song with their arms around each other’s shoulders and a loving smile for each other. They held each other’s hand as they bowed and then jogged into place to perform their final song of their set.

Part of what had worked well for them when singing _We Are Young_ in the past was their casual, near lack of choreography.  They did add a few bells and whistles for New York because, after all, this was a show choir competition, and show choirs sing AND dance, but for the most part, they sang it as originally intended: as a group of friends, _best_ friends, singing a shared favorite song together. Rachel began, then Finn, then Sam and Quinn, then after that Santana, and later on Mercedes. So many voices were allowed to shine, and everyone was having the best time, almost completely forgetting that they were on a huge stage.

 In New York.

Competing for the national championship.

As the song ended and they gathered together into a group huddle-hug as their final pose, a few of them jumped when the sound of roaring applause broke them out of their little New Directions bubble. They all turned and lined the stage for a quick group bow to acknowledge the standing ovation and bounced offstage.

The moment they were out of earshot of the audience, Lauren thrust her fist up in the air and roared, “YES!” Everyone cracked up, the tension immediately broken.

“Well guys, you’ve done what you can, and I must say, what you can is a helluva lot. You were PHENOMENAL, and I am so proud to be your director. You guys are all I’ve ever wanted in a show choir – I wouldn’t trade you for any other group out there. So…. now? We wait.”

The New Directions went back into the auditorium, collecting some high fives from the audience members on their way to their assigned seats, and sat down once more, considerably more relaxed than they were forty-five minutes prior. Kurt and Blaine tried not to be rude, they really did, but they had been up so early that morning, Kurt especially, that they had fallen asleep sitting up in their seats. Blaine had his head on Kurt’s shoulder, the tiniest string of drool trailing from the corner of his mouth (thankfully these were show choir outfits and not anything important like one of Kurt’s McQueen scarves or he’d’ve KILLED Blaine), and Kurt’s head was tilted back so far he was in extreme danger of accidentally snoring due to the position of his neck. Mercedes was seated next to him, and she tasked herself with nudging him gently whenever he came a little too close to embarrassing himself. She couldn’t bear to wake him all the way up, though.

The last choir completed their performance just before 8pm. The head judge addressed the audience, thanking them for their participation and support, and then he announced that the list of groups advancing to the second and final round of competition the next day would be posted by 8:30. Those people who had come to watch the performances filed toward the exits, and the show choirs began milling about the auditorium and lobby, waiting to learn whether or not they’d be singing again the next day. Mr. Schue gathered the New Directions together momentarily before they could scatter as well.

“Someone wake up Kurt and Blaine, and then I’ll talk,” he ordered. After Mercedes had shaken Kurt conscious, and he in turn had woken Blaine (not without a muttered “Ick!” as he discovered the mini puddle of drool on his collar), Mr. Schue resumed speaking.

“Okay, Kurt and Blaine, we all voted this morning on what to do after the competition tonight, and your idea won, though unfortunately we are done too late to go see RENT tonight.” A chorus of disappointed “awws” arose from the group. “However, I do believe we are all up for a trip to the Stardust Diner – “

“Hell yes!” Puck shouted. “I’m STARVING!”

Mr. Schuester chuckled. “So, we will head over there once the callback list goes up. It sounds like a fun time.”

Slowly they began standing up and stretching and eventually making their way out of the auditorium to the lobby to join the groups waiting for the results to be posted. Some of their members offered polite “great job” sentiments to nearby singers from other groups, but for the most part they kept to themselves, nervously waiting.

The gentle murmur of activity suddenly spiked to a loud roar, and it was then they knew that the results were posted. While the other groups surged toward the bulletin board, the New Directions stood frozen in their places.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do if we’re not on the list this year,” whispered Tina.

Mr. Schuester heard her and replied, “You are going to go home, proud of your accomplishment, knowing you are one of the twenty best show choirs in the nation. Regardless of our placement, you are still winners.”

“That group looks kind of scary,” Mercedes observed. Fourteen heads turned toward the bulletin board, which was still mobbed. “Who’s going in?”

“I’ll do it,” offered Lauren. “That looks no different than my last wrestling match. I got this.” She rolled her shoulders, cracked her knuckles, and set off towards the crowded board with a purpose. The rest of the team watched as she shoehorned her way closer to the wall. After a few moments, she turned around, shoved her way back out of the pack, and returned to the group.

“Well??” Rachel demanded. “What did it say? Are we in?”

Lauren stood, poker face intact, for several more very long agonizing seconds before she dropped it, her face breaking out into a grin. “We’re in! The Lima Losers are moving on!”

Mr. Schuester didn’t even bother scolding her for the rude remark against her own team and joined in the celebration with the others. Miss Pillsbury walked up to him, still rubbing hand sanitizer on her hands, and he grabbed her, swinging her around. “We made it, Emma – we’re moving on!”

Miss Pillsbury squealed a very un-Miss-Pillsbury-like squeal and offered heartfelt congratulations to each team member, even managing to shake hands with some of the kids she must have deemed “cleaner” (wisely, she chose to avoid Puck, Lauren, and Finn, whose hygiene habits were sometimes sketchy).

The group moved quickly to their rehearsal room to collect their belongings and gathered outside of the building in no time. Luckily, they were only about six blocks or so away from the Stardust Diner, so it was a fast walk, even with some of the girls complaining that their shoes were hurting their feet.

When they arrived at the diner, Rachel assessed the décor. “It’s adorable,” she decided.

“We liked it,” said Blaine.

They were seated, and Kurt and Blaine’s waiter from several nights before was serving their section again that night. He recognized the two right away. “Hey, you’re back! And I see you brought reinforcements!”

“We did!” exclaimed Blaine. “Meet the McKinley High School New Directions.” Blaine saw the waiter quirk his eyebrow and Blaine snorted. “It’s not what you think. The D sound belongs on the second word.”

The whole table laughed except for Mr. Schuester. He was the one who originally came up with the name, and he was never very impressed when people ragged on it. Kurt liked to joke about it with Blaine behind Mr. Schue’s back, though. He said Mr. Schuester was either really naïve or a closet pervert when he chose that name.

“So, you guys are all dressed up. What’s the occasion?” their waiter, whose name was Chris, asked.

Rachel began to open her mouth, but Mercedes, sensing impending doom if they allowed her to speak for the group, shushed her and quickly answered him. “Big show choir competition! We just came from there. We’re a group from Ohio.”

“Oh, welcome to New York! How’d you do?”

“The top ten performances from today go on to compete tomorrow, and we were in the top ten, so here’s hoping!” Blaine said, crossing his fingers in the air.

“Well, break a leg to all of you. We’re all performers here, so I can say with certainty that we all hope you’ll do well tomorrow. Now, what can I get you?”

Kurt raised his eyebrow and looked at Blaine, Rachel, and Mercedes with a twinkle in his eyes. They all started singing, “So that’s five miso soup, four seaweed salad, three soyburger dinner, two tofu dog platter and one pasta with meatless balls?”

Puck, from down at the other end of the table yelled, “EW!”

Rachel shrugged and said, “It tastes the same.”

Finn mumbled under his breath, “If you close your eyes.”

Chris laughed and sang back at them, “And thirteen orders of fries. Is that it here?”

The entire group, catching on, shouted “WINE AND BEER!”

They explained with a grin about their previous RENT song set and the fact that they had hoped to see RENT while they were here, but it wasn’t meant to be. Chris took their real drink and food orders and dropped it off at the kitchen. Kurt noticed that as soon as he had given their order to the kitchen, he gathered up a few of his fellow waitstaff and conferred with them in a huddle. After all of them were seen nodding, Chris came back over to their table.

“I know you guys are probably tired from your competition, but the crew sometimes likes to take a break and give selected others a chance to sing. Are any of you interested?” Some of the group, like Mike, Brittany, Lauren, and Puck, shook their heads, looking a little too tired, but the rest were eager to perform again. “Awesome. We sing oldies music here, 50s and 60s pretty much. I don’t know if any of you have that kind of music in your wheelhouses?”

Some of their previous enthusiasm was tempered some as they realized how contemporary their own personal repertoires were. Quinn smiled as she remembered her Glee club audition song, “Say a Little Prayer,” and quickly went to work on convincing Brittany that their Unholy Trinity would not be complete without her. The waiter had Quinn, Britt, and Santana follow him back toward the kitchen where the microphones were kept, and he cued up a background track for them.

There was a foot or so wide track on the back of the bench seats down the middle of the restaurant that the singing waitstaff sometimes used to be more visible to the patrons. All three of them being cheerleaders, they were used to the height and had the balance needed to pull off a routine on that ledge. All three gals hopped right up and camped their way through the song. Every eye in the place was on them; some eyes were focused lower than others, but they all enjoyed the attention, especially Quinn, who was unattached at moment. Before the song ended, she had locked eyes with a tall dark and handsome boy sitting with what appeared to be his family near the back of the restaurant. When Quinn, Santana, and Brittany were done with their number and had accepted their applause, Quinn made her excuses and went to the table to introduce herself.

The club’s meals had arrived at the table while the girls were singing, and by the time they were through, everyone else was at least halfway through their food. Since Quinn had ordered a cold sandwich, they decided not to disturb her meeting with the boy across the room and just asked the server to box it up for her; by the looks of it, she had no intention of returning to the group table any time in the near future.

“The patrons really liked the girls’ number. Anyone else want to give it a try? Do you have a boy’s counterpart to that one?” Finn, Sam, Puck, and Mike looked at each other and shook their heads. Artie looked thoughtful, as if he might’ve had something up his sleeves, but he didn’t seem to want to do whatever it was he had in mind by himself.

Blaine’s face all of a sudden lit up. Kurt turned and looked at him curiously. Blaine whispered his idea in Kurt’s ear, and the bright smile on Blaine’s face spread to Kurt’s. “You have some of the best ideas, sweetie.” Kurt turned to address Chris. “I think Blaine and I would like to give it a go.”

“Excellent! Follow me.”

Kurt and Blaine gave their song to the person running the stereo, who assured them that they had the appropriate backing track for them. They picked up the wireless mics and carefully perched themselves, sitting, on the same ledge that the girls had performed on.

They launched into their song in perfect harmony, focusing their gaze on each other, rarely looking anywhere else into the restaurant.

_Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream  
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream   
When I want you in my arms   
When I want you and all your charms   
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is   
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream_

 

The entire song was done in harmony, Kurt of course taking the upper notes and Blaine taking the lower. Kurt and Blaine were amping up the adorable as they sang  – flirty looks, random gentle touches, and heart-eyes abounded.

_When I feel blue in the night  
And I need you to hold me tight   
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is   
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam   
  
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine   
Anytime night or day   
Only trouble is, gee whiz   
I'm dreamin' my life away   
  
I need you so that I could die   
I love you so and that is why   
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is   
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream   
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam_

 

The entire song was spent eye-flirting… well, almost eye-fucking… and when they ended the song, Blaine offered his hand to Kurt, helped him off the ledge, and dipped him low, which surprised Kurt to the point that if Blaine hadn’t reacted fast, he might’ve dropped him. When he pulled him back up, he gave him a big smooch on the lips and twirled him off to the New Directions’ table. The applause, while appreciative, was not quite as thunderous as it was for the girls. Blaine got it – the target audience for three seemingly straight girls being innocently sexy was a little bit wider than it was for an obviously gay couple (though when they did rip their gaze away from each other, they did notice a couple of people looking at them with more than just musical interest), but Kurt and Blaine had a blast. They had never sung it together before, and Blaine found himself making a note to download the song to his iPod and add it to their car karaoke playlist.

After a few more songs (and Ellen’s “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” dessert shared amongst the guys minus Kurt), they paid the bill and got ready to head back to the hotel.

Chris was there to bid them goodnight and thank them for their performances. “Break a leg at your competition tomorrow, everyone. If you win and have the time to swing by, we’ll spring for celebratory malts or milkshakes for your whole crew.” Everyone cheered, and Mr. Schue shook hands with Chris as the team filed out the door.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Mr. Schuester encouraged everyone to head to bed and get some sleep rather than staying up late, and even the most hardcore night owls of the group looked as though they had no arguments. They packed themselves into the elevator instead of taking the stairs as they might have normally, and they all trudged tiredly to their respective rooms.

In the room that Kurt and Blaine shared with Rachel and Mercedes, there were almost no pre-bedtime ablutions being performed; performance outfits were shed and hung with no thought to modesty, teeth were brushed, restroom breaks were made, and beds were occupied, all with the speed that people who wanted nothing more to get to sleep as quickly as possible were able to muster.

Rachel and Mercedes were both blessed with the ability to fall asleep the moment their heads hit their pillows. Kurt, unfortunately, took at least twenty minutes to drop off each night regardless of how tired he was. Blaine found himself somewhere in between. Blaine, in the big spoon position that night, had been waiting until he heard the girls’ deep, even breathing of sleep before he spoke up.

“So… it’s our last night here…” he said suggestively.

Kurt groaned as he felt Blaine gently rubbing himself on Kurt’s backside. “Ugh, Blaine, you can’t tell me your dick isn’t as tired as the rest of us.”

“He didn’t get the memo that he’s supposed to be tired.” Blaine ran his hands down Kurt’s chest, his fingers dragging gently across Kurt’s nipples. Kurt gasped quietly, but didn’t react otherwise. Blaine tugged Kurt closer and squeezed him tightly. He rested his chin on Kurt’s shoulder. “Kuuuuuuurrrrrrtttt….,” he whined.

Kurt sighed. He flipped over in Blaine’s arms to face him. “Blaine, I love you” *kiss* “and you’re beautiful” *kiss* “and sexy” *kiss* “and you turn me on” *kiss* “ _so_ much.” *kiss* “But I am TIRED, Blaine. It may not be a hotel room, and it may not be New York, but you have a perfectly good private place at home for us to be together, and it won’t have two extra people in it to possibly wake up with our activities. Surely we can wait until then. Please, honey, let’s go to sleep. And tell _him_ to go to sleep, too.”

“Not even a good luck fuck?” Blaine tried once more.

“Gah… REALLY, Blaine? You did NOT just go there,” he said indignantly and flipped back over to face away from Blaine.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. We’ll go to sleep now. I love you,” he said as he leaned over Kurt’s shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

Kurt smiled. “You may be a pig, but I love you too.”

They snuggled back into their previous spoon positions and fell asleep faster than either of them thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” is insane. They charge you per person, minimum of four people, and it is described as “Homemade vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and strawberry ice cream, hot chocolate fudge, caramel sauce, wet walnuts, cherries, strawberries, whipped cream, sprinkles, Oreo cookies, and chopped brownies.” 
> 
> And the song is Dream by The Everly Brothers


	55. Chapter 55

Blaine’s phone alarm woke him at 8am Sunday morning. He had spoken with the rental agent after they performed their set the day before, and they discussed their options for the apartment. Apparently after Kurt and Blaine had rushed out to get to the competition on time, Simon and Ian had expressed that if at all possible, they’d like Kurt and Blaine to get their apartment. If an arrangement could be made, Simon and Ian would stay in the apartment until one week before Kurt and Blaine would arrive to move in to avoid any fees associated with holding the apartment or any extra months’ rent for an unoccupied space. The manager of the building was a little reluctant to rent to young people with no local work history, but Judy assured them that if Kurt’s father was willing to vouch for them, both as a work reference and a personal reference, she would be able to talk the manager into giving them a shot. WITH a hefty deposit, of course.

The boys actually had two more appointments scheduled for that morning to view additional apartments, but they had discussed it together and decided that they should just jump on the opportunity to grab this one and use the extra time to enjoy their last few hours in New York. All they needed to do was meet up with Judy at 9am to fill out the rental applications and pay an application fee, and then they were free to do whatever.

Blaine leaned over to kiss Kurt awake, starting at his forehead, then his eyelids, the tip of his nose, his cheekbones, and just as Kurt was beginning to stir and things were promising to get interesting, Mercedes mumbled from the other bed, “Foreplay is for alone time, boys, and you two are most certainly not alone.”

Blaine dropped face first onto his pillow with a disappointed muffled grunt into his pillow, and Kurt giggled, only barely conscious enough to catch what was going on. Blaine peeled his face off his pillow just enough to grumble, “Bite me,” to whoever was listening.

“Get up, Grumpy. We’ve got stuff to do.” Kurt turned to Mercedes. “You and Rachel wanna meet us somewhere for breakfast later when we’re done with our paperwork?”

“Sure!” Mercedes perked up immediately. “Did you have anywhere in mind?”

After discussing their options (Rachel sleepily adding her two cents from underneath the covers on her side of the bed), they chose a restaurant a few blocks away that had fancy twists on the old classic breakfast favorites and agreed to meet there at 9:45 – they would have an hour to eat and plenty of time to get back to the hotel and get ready for their second day of competition.

They had agreed to meet Judy at the nearby Starbucks to save time and transportation money. She was there right on time and had all the paperwork marked and ready for their perusal and signatures. Kurt and Blaine felt lucky to have run into her; she was by far the most honest and organized agent they had dealt with. She even had the rental agreement available for them to take with them read ahead of time so that all they would need to do when they were approved was sign and date the contract and mail it back to her. After answering a few questions that were not addressed in their haste to get to the competition on time (like was there air conditioning and were pets allowed – no to the former, yes to the latter), all the details were settled. They would spend their summer in Lima and move to New York the first of September right around the same time their college-bound friends were leaving for school as well. Judy asked for their permission to pass along their email addresses to Simon and Liam; the men were planning on abandoning some of their old furniture and wanted to give the boys dibs before disposing of it. Kurt and Blaine were grateful – the more there was waiting for them, the less they’d have to haul with them from Lima, and more importantly, the less they’d need to spend money on.

The meeting with Judy, thanks to her efficiency, only took twenty minutes despite the volume of information that was passed back and forth, so they had plenty of time to walk the few blocks between the coffee shop and the restaurant they were meeting the girls at. They walked slowly; due to the early-ish hour, the normal hustle and bustle of Times Square was a bit more subdued, and they could be leisurely without worrying about being trampled or in anyone’s way. They held hands and swung their arms back and forth in silence, and they stared at all of the billboards of all the fabulous shows Kurt dreamed of performing in. Even though they had seen them all many times by then, they still felt the same awe as they did the very first time. They saw something new every time in those gargantuan displays.

When they reached the restaurant, they were still a little early, but they had the host seat them anyway; they wanted nothing more than to kick back and relax and savor the last few free hours (for now) that they had in New York. Once they finished their breakfast, their vacation was essentially over. They would go to the hotel, dress for the competition, and check out. They would need to haul their baggage with them to the auditorium as they would be boarding a shuttle to the airport as soon as the results were posted and the ribbons and trophies were awarded. They were all expected to be back in school the next day, though Mr. Schuester were well aware that some of the parents were prepared to excuse their children for the day so they could get some well deserved rest.

Rachel and Mercedes arrived and joined them about ten minutes after they sat down. Kurt was stirring some real honey from a teeny-tiny individual serving sized glass jar into his hot tea as Rachel sat down exclaiming over the décor.

“We haven’t even looked at the menus yet,” Kurt told them. “We wanted to all order together.”

Rachel squealed when she discovered specifically vegan choices on the menu; she was used to having to scour menus with a fine toothed comb or sweet-talking the chef into using alternate methods to cook her meals at restaurants. She ordered the vegan blueberry pancakes and a vegan coconut muffin and leaned back happily into her seat, thrilled to death not to have to work to preserve her way of eating. The red velvet waffle caught both Kurt’s and Mercedes’ eyes, but Blaine went about as opposite of Rachel’s vegan meal as he could possibly go, choosing the pastrami corned beef hash.

“Seriously Blaine?” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t you think that’s a little heavy for a pre-competition meal?”

“Come on, Kurt. It’s not like I’m running a marathon or anything. And it’s not THAT bad,” Blaine replied, defending his choice.

“Well, you better dig through my toiletry case and grab the Rolaids that are in there, because if we’re halfway through our performance and you develop heartburn, I am not going to feel the least bit sorry for you.”

“Yes, _dear,”_ Blaine said, a bit annoyed with Kurt’s nagging.

“I’m sorry, Blaine. I just don’t want you to feel sick – it’s hell performing when you feel less than one hundred percent.”

“It’s okay, sweetie. But I’m still eating it.” Blaine placed a quick peck on Kurt’s cheek to let him know there were no hard feelings.

“I’m jealous of your ability to just brush minor disagreements off so easily,” remarked Rachel. “Finn and I tend to turn tiny things into bigger things. How do you do it?”

Blaine looked thoughtful. “I think we just remember the phrase, ‘don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.’ We fight – we’re only human – but it all boils down to, is this an argument about a life changing thing? And if not, then we fix it quickly and move on because it’s not worth it in the long run.”

Rachel nodded. “That’s not bad advice, actually.”

Kurt laughed. “I think that’s about as close as you’ll ever get to Rachel Berry agreeing with you, Blaine,” he teased. “Mark this one down on the calendar!” Rachel threw a large crumb of her muffin at Kurt and tried to glare sternly at him, but a hint of a grin kept trying to sneak its way in. Blaine saw Rachel throw the bit of muffin, so with a mischievous smirk, he started tearing a small piece of his English muffin, but right as he was about to raise his hand to toss it, Kurt caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and scolded him. “Don’t you DARE, Blaine Anderson!” he hissed under his breath. “I thought we were civilized people!”

Blaine pouted. “You didn’t yell at Rachel like that.”

“Yeah, because I’m not with her. I don’t want people to think my boyfriend is uncouth!”

Blaine belched softly just then, and Kurt shook his head. “Never mind. My boyfriend is most definitely uncouth.” Blaine laughed and bowed his head as if he was accepting (nonexistent) applause.

“Brat. Sometimes you make me wonder why I’m not straight – boys are disgusting.”

“We may be disgusting,” Blaine pointed out, “but we’re cute.”

“You think that was _cute_?” Kurt asked.

“Hey, it’s not like I picked my nose and ate it or anything.” Blaine shrugged.

“Oh GROSS,” Kurt and Rachel both groaned. “Check please!” Kurt added.

“Honestly, Blaine, I can’t take you anywhere.” Blaine simply grinned as if he was proud of himself.

Mercedes looked at her cell phone. “Hey, if we pay the bill right now and head back to the hotel, we’ll be right on schedule.”

Kurt immediately began to look around for the waiter. “Being on time for something would be a nice change for us – it hasn’t happened a lot lately. I want to look perfect today. After all, I fully expect to be immortalized in a champion’s photo this evening!”

They paid and exited the restaurant, walking down the sidewalk arm in arm in arm in arm, looking much like Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion as they followed the Yellow Brick Road. Blaine even got them to skip a little bit. Kurt laughed and said, “Well, if that didn’t just have ‘We’re queer and we’re here’ written all over it.”

“Nah. It just looks like we’re rehearsing for a Wizard of Oz revival. It’s New York – people see theatre people every day.” He kissed Kurt on the nose and skipped off toward the hotel singing “We’re off to see the Wizard” as he went. Kurt face palmed and the girls giggled at both Blaine’s enthusiasm and Kurt’s embarrassment. Rachel and Mercedes re-hooked their arms through his and set off behind Blaine, just close enough to keep him in their sight and just far enough away to avoid being associated with the total goober.

**xXxXxXx**

Upon returning to the hotel, everyone split up to take showers and get ready. After exchanging a few texts with their friends they discovered that the bathrooms in Sam, Finn, Artie, and Mike’s room and in Miss Pillsbury’s room were not in use, so Mercedes went to use the boys’ shower and Rachel went to Miss Pillsbury’s room. Blaine and Kurt showered together to save time, and for once, it actually did save some time. The fact that they had their time scheduled down to the minute as well as the fact that they knew both Rachel and Mercedes had keys and could walk in at any moment was enough to deter them from making any attempts at “happy fun times.” Every part was washed perfunctorily, but not without love – they just made sure to keep the “horny teenager” parts of them totally out of it.

Mercedes returned to their room just as Kurt was styling his hair and Blaine was putting on his shirt and tie. They were all so comfortable with each other that no one paid any attention to the fact that Kurt barely had any clothes on at that point (well, maybe Blaine did, just a little, but he tried not to think too much about it). Rachel took a little longer, arriving as Kurt was spraying nearly half a can of permanent hold hairspray on his head and Blaine was combing the contents of a smuggled-in tube of gel through his hair. As soon as Kurt noticed Blaine re-creating his helmet-hair look, his face fell and he whined, “Blaaaainnnne…” in disappointment.

“Kuuuuuurrrrrrttttt,” Blaine whined right back, mocking him.

Kurt sighed but said nothing further.

“Now boys, no bickering,” Mercedes scolded. “We gotta get our game faces on. There is no room for bitching about hair gel in show choir.”

“I wonder what Mr. Schue will think about our ‘adjustments’ to the choreography today…” Blaine mused.

“What’s he going to do?” Mercedes challenged. “He won’t know ‘til we get on stage, and he can’t exactly run on stage and demand we change it back as we’re performing. Besides, it’s no big deal. All we did was decide there were people we’d rather be partnered with for one number. It’s not as if we’re going to go all _Hair_ and get naked on stage or anything.”

“Very true,” conceded Kurt.

After averting a minor “dropped hem” crisis with Rachel’s dress (thank goodness for Kurt’s travel sewing kit), all four were appropriately clad and primped and ready to join the others for the trip over to the auditorium. The walk was really too short for them to justify the cost of a cab, but they were all carrying their luggage with them. Some of them, including Kurt, had too much stuff with them to comfortably carry, and none of them wanted to sweat unnecessarily with the exertion of lugging their gear around. So as a compromise, Mr. Schuester hailed a mini-van cab and had everyone load their bags inside. He sent the cab off to the auditorium, and the group followed along behind. Mr. Schue jogged to the venue to get there sooner and avoid any extra costs of a ticking meter, but the rest trailed behind more leisurely. By the time they arrived, Mr. Schuester had already had all their bags on the curb for them to retrieve and sent the taxi on its way. It was a great idea that worked out really well.

One by one they hauled their belongings out of the pile on the curb and headed inside to the same rehearsal space they occupied yesterday. Mr. Schuester was given a temporary key to the room so all their things would be safe while they were in the auditorium. Warm-ups commenced immediately – they were identical to the previous day’s except for the fact that Kurt and Blaine were there from the beginning. When they were sufficiently warmed up, they went over the set list. Originally they were planning on ending with _Don’t Stop Believin’_ , but as much as it was an anthem for them, _Somebody to Love_ was just kind of “their” song and they wanted to go out with a bang on it. _Dog Days_ remained in the middle of their performance.

Just as they were finishing with their logistics discussion and pep talks, one of the judges stopped by to inform them of the New Directions’ place in the performance order. Oddly enough, they were number ten again, performing at the exact same time as they had the previous day, but this time, it was a blessing as it meant they were dead last. Rachel always said it was best to perform either first or last – first to set the standard, or last to be the freshest in the judges’ minds. At this point in the game, with the groups they were slated to compete against, _any_ advantage was accepted gratefully.

The team filed into the auditorium and sat in almost the exact same order and manner as they had before, except pretty much all the arms between the seats were up this time and they were cuddled up together more tightly than ever before, so tightly that the entire Glee club could fit in the space of about nine or ten seats.

The panel of judges was different that day; the previous three had included local personalities, but for the final, most important day of competition, professional show choir judges were used to ensure no biases. This also meant that even the tiniest mistakes would be noticed and penalized, but everyone agreed that they’d rather be judged on their mistakes than their reputation – every one of the New Directions was painfully aware that they would never be winning any popularity contests.

Vocal Adrenaline was the first team to perform, and unfortunately for everyone, they were dazzling, as usual.

Rachel leaned over and whispered in Kurt’s ear. “Thank GOD we don’t have to follow that today. They’ve set the bar very high, but the group that’s set to perform after them looks like they’re about to pee their hideous pants, so there’s guaranteed to be a minimum of at least one team that’s going to choke. Let’s just hope the seven others do too.”

And choke they did. The Texas group that had performed stunningly the day before bombed their choreography in their first number and never quite recovered. A team from Florida did well until a girl vomited down the back of the boy that had her in a lift at the end of their number.

“Ouch, they almost made it,” Blaine shuddered. Kurt sat next to him looking slightly green; he never could handle the sight of vomit, even if it wasn’t immediately near him.

“I’m okay.” But Blaine wasn’t so sure. He turned Kurt’s eyes from the stage as a custodian came to mop the stage and made him drink a few sips of water. The sounds of a girl wailing (most likely the barfer) could be heard drifting all the way from the backstage area. They felt bad for her, as she had to have been absolutely humiliated, but they couldn’t help but think, _another one bites the dust._

A team from California performed their routines perfectly, though they were extremely robotic and precise with their movements. It looked good, but they just weren’t feeling it.

The New Directions sat through two more numbers, after which another team from California made a grievous error: one of their girls took a nosedive, and she wasn’t wearing any spanky pants underneath her dress. In fact, she wasn’t wearing underpants of ANY sort under her dress. The audience collectively gasped, save for Santana, who was criticizing the girl’s grooming habits very, VERY loudly. Kurt couldn’t blame her – it WAS rather tacky to shave one’s pubic hair into a downward pointing arrow…

A team from Minneapolis was the first team besides Vocal Adrenaline to really worry the New Directions. They had a huge team of about sixty to seventy people. Despite the larger stage, they were still a little cramped, but it didn’t faze them in the slightest. They had jumps, tosses, lifts, and extremely intricate footwork that made everyone tired just looking at it.

“Well, shit,” Puck remarked. Everyone else merely nodded, watching the group like hawks hoping to spot any major flubs that would send them to the bottom of the heap, but they had no such luck.

Kurt, who was holding Rachel’s hand with the hand that wasn’t holding Blaine’s, suddenly yelped and snatched his hand away from her. “Geez Rachel, when people tell you to get a grip, they didn’t mean to break my hand into tiny pieces with your grip!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, they’re just…. AMAZING.”

“Yes, they are. But a lot of these teams are not, and that only helps us.”

“There are a LOT of mistakes happening out there tonight, Kurt. What if this place is jinxed? What if MMPH – “ Kurt quickly covered her mouth with his hand, preventing her from spouting any more such nonsense. Well, he HOPED it was nonsense.

“Shhhhh! If anything’s gonna jinx us, it’s going to be you worry about being jinxed! Just shut up and concentrate!”

The Minnesota team had just filed off the stage in an orderly fashion, and Mr. Schuester was calling for them all to get up and head backstage to get ready while the second-to-last group performed.

“Well guys,” he started, “there have been quite a few mishaps tonight. In my opinion, we have a really good shot of taking this whole thing today. _REALLY_ good. But that doesn’t mean we can slack. Pardon my crass remark, but we really need to go balls to the wall with this one. Give it your all and don’t hold back. Now – does everyone have underwear on?” The whole team laughed and responded in the affirmative. “Anyone feel nauseated?” A unanimous no. “Good! Then we’ve probably already got no worse than 8 th place!”

Just as Mr. Schuester was about to finish his pep talk, the group who was on stage before them trotted backstage. The group was in far too good of a mood to have screwed up in any major way, so the New Directions had to consider them serious competition.

A young girl was crowing as she passed the McKinley kids, “I’m going to win my very first Nationals and I’m only a sophomore! There’s no way you Ohio losers can do as well as we did! Remember my face – you’ll see me on Broadway before I even graduate high school!”

“Harmony, come on! Stop harassing the competition!” someone called from behind them. The voice sounded extremely annoyed. No one could blame the owner of the voice in the slightest – she annoyed them, too.

**_“And finally, our last competitors in the 2012 National Show Choir Championships is the William McKinley High School New Directions.”_ **

Mr. Schuester parked himself just offstage to offer a high five or hug to every member of the Glee club as they passed by him. “ _You can do it, guys!”_ he whispered loudly as they took their positions for _Don’t Stop Believin’._

After several years of performing, they had had plenty of time to tweak the choreography and their entrances to make the biggest statement. They stood in the dark in a line facing the back of the stage. The original six members of the Glee club, Tina, Artie, Mercedes, Kurt, Rachel, and Finn, were each spotlighted individually as they spun around one by one to face the audience. In the instrumental break after the first verse, the rest were brought in from alternating sides of the stage to a spotlight in the middle of the stage - Quinn, Puck, Brittany, Mike, Santana, Sam, Lauren, and Blaine - in the order they had joined up with the club. They sang and danced through the next verse, and Mercedes ran them through a spectacular key change that brought the audience to its feet before they could even finish their song. Kurt called this a good sign.

As soon as they ended the number, they left Mercedes and Tina in the middle of the stage and lined up at the back of the stage where the lighting was very dim.

Tina took a deep breath and began.

_Happiness, hit her like a train on a track_

Then Mercedes took the next line.

_Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back_

Behind them, the rest of the team clapped their hands along with the next lines.

_*clapclap, clap, clapclap, clap*_

_She hid around corners and she hid under beds  
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled_

 

The girls sang the chorus, and then the others joined them and danced wildly along the front of the stage.

_And I never wanted anything from you  
Except everything you had  
And what was left after that too. oh._

 

As Tina sang the lines, the others sat at the edge of the stage providing a kind of dreamy, wavy sequence of moves with their arms.

When they came to the final chorus, they all ran back to the back of the stage, leaving Mercedes and Tina up front to belt out the final notes.

As the applause rang out across the auditorium, Tina smiled the biggest smile that anyone had ever seen on her face. She was panting heavily with the exertion of performing such a demanding song, but she was so very proud of herself. As she and Mercedes turned to join the rest of the group, they softly applauded their two soloists as they all took their places for their final number.

“ _Caaaaaaaaaaaaannn….anybody find me somebody to love?”_

Rachel, Finn, and Artie sang the verses back and forth while the team provided back up harmonies. As they neared the end of the song, Mr. Schue’s original idea was to have them pair up into boy/girl couples at the top of the risers, walk down them hand in hand, and split at the bottom to line the stage. However, with two same sex couples in the club, they all decided, without Mr. Schuester’s input, that they should pair up however they damn well pleased. And however they damn well pleased involved pairing up into their romantic couples because they HAD found “somebody to love.”

_Find me somebody to love_

_Fine me somebody to love_

_Find me somebody to love_

 

Every time they sang “find me somebody to love,” a new couple danced came down the risers. Mercedes and Sam came down first, simply holding hands. Rachel and Finn followed behind, Rachel riding piggyback on Finn. Blaine and Kurt were next, holding hands until they reached the bottom where Kurt twirled Blaine and dipped him backward almost to the floor before they went to their places. Michael carried Tina down bridal style, and Lauren carried Puck down over her shoulder, which the audience had a good laugh over. Brittany and Santana were next and walked down side by side, neither one touching the other until Santana pulled Brittany close at the bottom of the risers and planted a big wet exaggerated stage smooch on her lips before Brittany danced to her side of the stage. Artie rolled in from the side of the stage and Quinn met him in the middle and spun him around in his chair before joining the others in their places.

Mercedes again received a standing ovation with another flawless vocal run and the New Directions finished the song with their arms toward the heavens. The applause for them was thunderous. Kurt wasn’t sure if it was because the acoustics were different on the stage than they were in the auditorium or what, but to him, it sounded as if the applause for the New Directions was twice as loud as it was for any group that had performed that day.

They all bowed and ran off the stage to Mr. Schuester, who they were surprised to find was in tears.

“That was… there are no words, guys. You all did me so, so proud. I just…” his voice broke just a tiny bit and he didn’t continue. It was enough to bring tears to several others’ eyes; Tina, Rachel, and Kurt looked like they were on the verge of bawling. Finn wasn’t sure what he should do about Rachel’s tears, but Blaine knew that Kurt just needed a hug, which he was more than happy to provide. Rachel and Mercedes were quick to join their little huddle, and the others quickly piled on, including Mr. Schue. After a few moments of standing there in each others’ arms, they went to their room to await the judges’ decision.

**xXxXxXx**

**_“Will all teams please report to the auditorium for the awards ceremony, all teams to the auditorium for the awards ceremony, thank you.”_ **


	56. Chapter 56

For the first time in a long time, the entirety of the New Directions went somewhere in complete and total silence. No whispers, no snide remarks, no body noises, no humming along to an internal soundtrack… nothing. Because there were too many people to fit on stage all at once, all the teams reported to their allotted spaces in the auditorium and sat to await the final standings.

The head judge stepped out on stage to address the choirs. “I could make a big long speech about how tough our decisions were and how you should all be proud to have made it this far, but I think you all know that without us having to say. You all are tired, and most of you have come a long way and still need to travel tonight or early tomorrow, so we will make as short and sweet as possible.” One of the other judges handed the head judge an envelope. “Without further ado, the final standings of the 2012 National Show Choir Championships are as follows…”

Kurt closed his eyes and bowed his head, squeezing Blaine and Rachel’s hands tightly. It didn’t matter how tightly he squeezed, because they were squeezing his just as hard in return. He blocked everything out of his head except for the judge’s voice.

“In tenth place, from Los Angeles, California…” Not surprisingly, it was the panty-less girl’s team.

“In ninth place, from Miami, Florida…” The puker.

“In eighth place, from Austin, Texas…” The team with botched choreography.

In seventh, sixth, and fifth places were some teams who had some rather lackluster performances, according to Kurt. Amazingly, he agreed with the judges’ placements one hundred percent.

 _So far,_ anyway.

“In fourth place…“ Kurt took a deep breath. “From Atlanta, Georgia…” Kurt let the breath out noisily. _We’ve placed,_ he thought. _We’ve finally placed at Nationals!_

“Will the last three teams standing please come up on stage for the trophy presentation?” the judge requested. The team from Minneapolis, called The Electric Company, joined Vocal Adrenaline and the New Directions on the stage. Mr. Schuester allowed the Minnesota team to stand between them and Vocal Adrenaline to attempt to avoid the dirty looks he knew they’d receive from the other team.

“All three of you did amazing jobs. The decision among you three as far as how to rank you was especially difficult because we were unable to detect any major flaws with any of you, and there were specific things about each of your groups that we all especially loved. But difficult choices must be made, so…” The judge paused to allow the stage hands to bring the first, second, and third place trophies up on stage.

“In third place, from Minneapolis, Minnesota… The Electric Company!” The team members hugged each other quietly, as if they had expected to do better than they had. They glared at the New Directions as they filed off the stage.

“How rude!” Rachel said under her breath, indignantly.

“Not our problem, Rach. Let it go,” Kurt soothed.

“In second place…” The wait for the judge to say the name seemed interminable, even though it was literally only a few extra seconds longer than usual, to create suspense. “From Lima, Ohio, the New Directions!”

Kurt’s emotions were so mixed. On one hand, HOLY CRAP! SECOND PLACE AT NATIONALS! On the other hand, that damn Vocal Adrenaline bested them. Again. Just once he would’ve loved to see them eat their dust. Beside him, Rachel seemed to share his internal debate. The others, however, had no problem whatsoever with second place and were jumping up and down. He was pretty sure he had even seen Mike and Brittany perform side by side aerials in their excitement. Blaine bounced up to him and threw his arms around him.

“Kurt, we did it! We got second place! Isn’t it awesome?”

His boyfriend looked so adorable. His face was flushed from all the jumping up and down and cheering. He looked at Kurt with an elated smile on his face, and Kurt couldn’t help but share his smile.

“Yeah, honey – this is the greatest,” he agreed and wrapped his arms around Blaine. And screw first place. With Blaine in his arms and a placement at Nationals, he had all he needed right at that moment.

**xXxXxXx**

Vocal Adrenaline celebrated their win as if they were the million to one longshot to win and as if they had never won Nationals before. The tears, the fainting, the thanks to various deities – all were so overly dramatic and ridiculous that Kurt and several other Glee club members wanted to take their nausea and go vomit in Vocal Adrenaline’s tour bus. And yes, they had a luxuriously appointed tour bus to travel in. Goodness those kids were spoiled.

After participating in such formalities as photo sessions and interviews for local arts publications, the New Directions were finally able to collect their belongings and grab a shuttle bus to the airport. As long as they didn’t hit any snags, they’d have just enough time to check in, go through security, find their gate, and maybe even grab a snack or pee before they boarded.

Once they had checked in (and Kurt and Blaine checked their luggage since they had been travelling for longer than the others and had more stuff), they joined the security line. Most of them passed through with no incident, though Rachel had gotten pulled aside to discard a bottle of water she had forgotten was in her backpack. Santana, however, was randomly chosen for a more thorough pat down. None of them were very skilled Spanish speakers, but that was something they were glad for. The screeching they heard coming from the room she had been brought to for privacy was somewhat terrifying; it was filled with every Spanish curse word she knew and probably quite a few she had created on the spot. Shortly afterward, a very pissed off Santana emerged from the holding room. The New Directions steered clear of her. Nobody wanted to get in her way. After meeting up with Artie on the other side of the security line - he got to jump the line as he and his wheelchair required special handling – they set off to find their gate, which was mercifully close considering how tired everyone was.

Blaine sidled up to Kurt displaying full puppy dog eyes. _He wants something,_ Kurt realized. “Could I beg you to go grab me a coffee while I hit the restroom, baby?”

Kurt laughed. “Turn off the puppy dog and save your energy, Blaine. I was just going to head over there anyway. Do you need something with a little extra oomph, or will your usual be enough?”

“I’ll have your usual – I don’t think a plain coffee is going to cut it.”

“Sounds good!” Kurt booped Blaine on the nose and hurried over to the Starbucks, which was thankfully quite slow at the moment. Blaine left his and Kurt’s carry-ons with Miss Pillsbury and jogged off to the restroom to take care of business. Kurt returned with their drinks and they sipped quietly while they waited for their flight to be ready to board.

They had been unable to secure a large block of tickets all together, so the group was split up throughout the plane. Blaine and Kurt were assigned to a row of three, as were Rachel and Finn. Mercedes opted to sit with Blaine and Kurt, and Sam joined Finn and Rachel – Sam had wanted to discuss some Halo strategies with Finn during the flight.

“I hope Rachel was planning on sleeping on the way,” Kurt remarked, “because with that topic of conversation, she’s going to be sleeping whether she wants to or not.

“Why do you think I came over here?” Mercedes said. They all laughed. “Actually, I really was hoping to nap, too. I just wanted to sit next to someone who would forgive me if I accidently fell asleep on their shoulder.”

Kurt smiled at Mercedes and patted his shoulder. “There is always room on this shoulder for my fellow diva. Just don’t drool on me – I’ve already had my quota thanks to Blaine sleeping on me yesterday.”

“Hey!” Blaine cried in protest.

“Well, I can’t guarantee it, but at least you wouldn’t screech at me like Rachel would.”

“I don’t know about that… spit on my favorite Marc Jacobs jacket might earn you a blood-curdling scream and me a quick trip off the plane.”

Mercedes giggles. “Okay, note to self, check the brand label first.”

“Or bring a burp cloth,” Kurt suggested.

All three laughed and settled into their seats just as the captain came on the intercom, informing them of the flight conditions and ETA back into Ohio. They would arrive in Columbus just before 10pm and board a bus – Figgins had made a very unhappy Sue Sylvester loan the Glee club the Cheerios bus for the trip – a two hour bus ride into Lima.

After the plane reached cruising altitude, the pilot dimmed the lights in the cabin for those who wanted to nap. Mercedes immediately snuggled into Kurt’s shoulder and drifted off quickly. Kurt and Blaine tried to chat quietly about the new issue of Vogue that Kurt had picked up in the airport to read on the flight, but much as Blaine tried, his yawns punctuated his speech too much. Kurt smiled softly and pulled Blaine to his other shoulder, urging him to shut his eyes for a moment.

“But we were talking,” Blaine said sleepily. “I want to finish the conver…” he trailed off as he fell asleep.

Kurt grabbed the iPod he had stowed in his side pocket before they took off. He was using earbuds, of course, but he made sure to keep the volume low as he had two bodies dozing within inches of his ears, and he didn’t want to disturb their slumber. He knew he wouldn’t sleep himself; he didn’t sleep well in moving vehicles, whether it was car, bus, or plane. He once took a seven hour car trip in the middle of the night and despite his exhaustion, he wasn’t able to sleep a wink. He was so tired by the time he arrived that he was loopy, not to mention angry that he had had the opportunity but not the ability to sleep.

Many of the passengers were taking advantage of the low light to grab a catnap, so it gave Kurt the perfect opportunity to people watch. Mr. Schuester and Miss Pillsbury were sitting together several rows ahead of them. Mr. Schuester was talking animatedly to Miss Pillsbury, and she was hanging on his every word, her eyes glued to him. He wasn’t quite sure what they saw in each other – some of their issues seemed incompatible with the other’s – but apparently he was quite wrong. He was sure that the Glee club would be called back sometime within the next year or two to attend, and perhaps perform at, their wedding.

On the other side of the aisle and three rows up sat Finn, Rachel, and Sam. Sam and Finn were in the aisle and middle seats respectively, leaving Rachel at the window. The boys were speaking a little too loudly for the situation; he could hear their voices over the soft music flooding his ears. Rachel looked bored out of her mind and also a little bit pissed. She noticed Kurt watching her and shot a “Save me!” look at him, but he tilted his head first in Blaine’s direction, and then in Mercedes’, and lifted his eyebrow, telling her without words that there really wasn’t much he could do to help her, not while he was performing his essential job of “pillow.”

Santana and Brittany were sitting together in the first class section. Santana’s father traveled a lot for medical conferences and had a lot of frequent flyer miles; he was more than willing to use some of them to upgrade the girls’ tickets to the more comfortable seating at the front of the plane. Kurt noticed that the first class flight attendant was young and attractive, and Santana was shamelessly flirting with him. Brittany wasn’t so impressed, though. She looked equal parts hurt and mad. Kurt knew that they weren’t together – they were just “friends with benefits,” but he was starting to think that Brittany wanted more than that. Suddenly, Brittany stood up and stormed over to the first class lavatory, slamming the door to the tiny room behind her. Santana looked confused, and the flight attendant wisely moved on to continue his other duties. Kurt hoped they’d be able to resolve their issues before the plane landed.

Artie was sitting in the front row of the coach section where they had a wider row suitable for disabled people.  He was sitting in a regular seat on the plane, but the wider row made it easier for Puck, who volunteered to help Artie on and off the plane, to carry him on board and settle him in his seat without bumping into the overhead bins or anyone else boarding the plane. Lauren was next to Puck, complaining about the small seats but shut up when Artie and Puck began to discuss strength training exercises for arms. Lauren wrestled, Puck was on the football team and lifted weights, and Artie had spent the last ten or so years of his life pushing himself around with his arms, so each one of them had something valuable to offer the others.

Mike, Tina, and Quinn were somewhere behind them, all three in individual seats. Quinn didn’t care either way; Mike and Tina had tried getting some of the nearby passengers to switch seats with them so they could sit together, but they had no luck. It wasn’t anything that could be helped – it was a passenger’s prerogative to keep their assigned seat, so while Tina’s pouted a little initially, she kissed Mike quickly and chastely and took her aisle seat five rows behind Mike’s window seat. Quinn was in the last row of the plane where the flight attendants’ drink station was, and also where their jump seats were, so she spoke to them a bit during the flight. Kurt found out after their flight landed that she thought the guy who had worked her section was really cute, and he was stationed out of Cleveland so not too terribly far away, but she was disappointed to find out that he was gay.

She asked him then if ALL male flight attendants were gay, or if it just seemed that way. Both he and Blaine had a good chuckle over that. “As with any profession, Quinn, I’m sure there is a mix of straight and gay people, but when it comes to flight attending, yes, a very large majority of the men are in fact gay.” Quinn harrumphed in disappointment.

“What about the boy in the diner?” Kurt wondered.

“He was from California. We have each other’s email addresses, but it’s no less hard to establish a relationship long distance than it is to keep one going, so neither of us saw it going anywhere. Especially since I’ll be off to Connecticut to go to Yale in the fall. But it might be nice to have a friend.”

Kurt told her encouragingly, “Yale will be crawling with young, intelligent, and most likely rich men. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find one whose nose isn’t stuck up either in the air or someone else’s ass that’ll be right for you.”

The pilot announced that they were beginning their descent into Columbus and would be landing in approximately twenty minutes. The weather there was good and he anticipated a smooth, on-time landing. As the flight attendants came around to sweep the cabin for the last time of unwanted trash and to remind everyone to put their tray tables up, to bring their seats upright, and to turn off their electronics, Kurt gently woke the two Sleeping Beauties on his shoulders. Blaine was the easy one to wake; he was very much in tune with Kurt and required only a gentle tap as he heard Kurt’s voice call his name. Mercedes needed a couple of hard shakes, but she, too, woke without too much confusion as to where she was. Kurt explained to them both that they were almost to the airport and they checked around them to ensure that their belongings were gathered together, but since they hadn’t taken anything out, there was nothing to put back.

Because their seats were all scattered throughout the plane, it took a long time for all of the New Directions to gather in the waiting area. Brittany and Santana were the first ones off the plane, followed closely by Puck, Artie, and Lauren, but the moment the trio entered the waiting area from the jetway, they heard Santana whine loudly, “But Brittany, I was just flirting, it’s not as if I was going to sleep with him. You know I only sleep with you,” as Brittany stood up to stomp away, and they immediately diverted their path toward the other side of the gate. None of them wanted to be in the middle of THAT spectacle. Group by group, they all slowly emerged from the jet bridge and made the same assessment as the others had: stay far, far away from Santana and Brittany.

Finally Quinn, the last one off the plane, arrived and they all headed en masse to the baggage claim area for Kurt and Blaine’s luggage, and right outside was where their bus was waiting to pick them up. Most of the bags had been claimed by the time the group arrived, so it took Kurt and Blaine mere moments to locate their belongings and retrieve them. The garishly painted Cheerios bus was parked right outside the door, as promised. Mr. Schue was the first to board the bus, and he made a rather unfortunate discovery; the driver was not Sue’s usual driver, but Sue herself.


	57. Chapter 57

 “Do you even _have_ a commercial bus driving license, Sue?” Mr. Schuester asked skeptically.

“I got it here in one piece, didn’t I? I couldn’t let your merry band of mouthbreathers run rampant through my bus and destroy it with all of your nasty little Glee club cooties, so I brought you these.” Sue handed Mr. Schuester a box of black Hefty trash bags.

“What are these for, Sue?”

“They’re to protect my seats from your kids, William. There was no place we could usher them for extra strength decontamination showers at this time of night on a Sunday, so this was my backup plan. Take these scissors, cut some arm and neck holes, and put them on your kids like giant condoms. I refuse to go anywhere without practicing safe bus ridership, and that means protection for my seats.”

“Can’t we just cover the _seats_ with the garbage bags?”

“What for? My seats didn’t do anything wrong. THEY aren’t garbage. Why should they be denied the chance to breathe freely?”

“Oh for craps’ sake, Mr. Schue, give us the damn bags and scissors and let’s get this bus moving. I don’t want to be in any of your company any longer than I have to, and you know damn well Coach isn’t going to give in,” Santana barked impatiently. Soon everyone was covered in trash bags, and Mr. Schuester turned to address Sue once more.

“There, are you happy now?”

“You too, William. And your little bush baby. Her luxurious ginger mane is soft and obsessively clean, but that doesn’t I want any of it shedding onto my seats.” Miss Pillsbury looked horrified, but after Mr. Schuester offered to rent a car and drive her back to Lima, she took a deep breath and said she would do it, for the good of the kids. After all, it wasn’t exactly fair to leave them all alone to deal with Sue themselves, even though all of them were probably better equipped emotionally to deal with Sue than she was. She donned her very own bag and sat very delicately on the first seat behind the driver’s seat.

Finally, the entire McKinley delegation minus Sue herself was satisfactorily clad in trash bags and she agreed to get the bus on its way back home. After some harrowing near misses while getting on the highway (despite her insistence that she knew how to drive the bus, her merging skills left something to be desired), the ride became much smoother and the bus’ passengers were able to sit back and relax just a bit. Not enough for anyone to fall asleep, especially since the trash bags made them keep sliding off the seats and in turn made it impossible for anyone to doze off without finding themselves on the floor, but enough where they were able to relax their death grips on the edges of the seat cushions.

They rode in an eerie silence; no one dared say anything because they weren’t sure what could be said without Sue pulling over and dropping them off on the side of the road. The current and former cheerleaders among the team were sort of positive she wouldn’t kick anyone off the bus, but no one wanted to tempt fate, so every single one of them kept their mouths shut the entire two hour drive back to McKinley.

Sue pulled the bus into the lot with a screeching halt and threw it into park. She reached for her bullhorn, turned it on with the volume cranked, and screamed “GET THE HELL OFF OF MY BUS!” Everyone was eager to obey her command as quickly as possible, so they snatched up their bags and fled the vehicle.

Some of the parents were waiting in the parking lot to pick up their kids. Burt was parked across the way in Kurt’s Navigator next to both Misters Berry. Kurt and Blaine had retrieved their bags from the compartment underneath the bus, a little banged up from all the pushing and shoving, and tossed them into the back of Kurt’s car with no concern as to where they landed. Finn trailed a bit farther behind helping Rachel with her things – the heel had broken off her shoe as she exited the bus, so it was a little more slow-going, but soon Finn had Rachel loaded up into her fathers’ car and himself riding shotgun in Kurt’s. The crinkling sound he made as he settled into his seat caught Burt’s attention – none of them had bothered taking off their Hefty bags after getting off the bus.

“What in the hell are you boys wearing?”

“Sue made us wear trash bags like full body condoms in order to be allowed on her bus because she claims we’re diseased and didn’t want us contaminating her seats,” Kurt said dryly.

“She didn’t say it like that Kurt,” argued Finn.

“No, but you know she meant it like that. But right now, I don’t even care. I just want to get home and get Blaine and me to bed. You are coming home with me, right honey?” Blaine looked too tired to care, so he just nodded silently. “So Dad, if you can just drive please?”

Burt responded by cranking the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.

They arrived at the Hummel-Hudson home and unloaded the Navigator. Finn grabbed his stuff and ran upstairs, leaving Kurt, Blaine, and Burt behind.

“Hey,” Kurt addressed Blaine. “Why don’t you go on up and get ready for bed, and I’ll be up in a few minutes?”

“Okay, don’t be too long,” Blaine said, leaning over to give Kurt a kiss before picking up his things and some of Kurt’s and heading up the stairs.

Kurt went to the kitchen for a glass of water, and Burt followed him. “So, how did it go?” he asked conversationally.

“How did what go?” asked Kurt, because really, they went out to New York for a number of reasons. He placed his glass on the kitchen table and sat down, gesturing for his father to take the seat opposite him.

“Well, I know you guys placed second out of the whole damn country and I’m really proud of all three of you, so I’m mainly wondering if you and Blaine found a safe place to live out there.”

“It was touch and go for quite some time. It’s amazing how people choose to live. But we ran across a place currently rented by another gay couple who seemed to take to us and wanted to pass along their place to us. Pending the building manager’s approval, of course. Which reminds me – if you haven’t been already, you may be asked to vouch for us. I hate to ask you since I really want to do this on my own, but – “

“Nonsense. I am more than happy to help you boys. I don’t really want you guys to go at all, but that’s the dad who’s gonna have a hard time watching his nest empty, talking. Whatever I need to do to help you and Blaine get a decent place to live, I will do. Okay?”

Kurt threw his arms around his dad in a huge hug, not without a few tears threatening to leak from his eyes. “Thanks Dad. You are the best. I love you so much and I am going to miss you terribly when we move. Blaine will, too, I know. You’ve filled in a huge void in his life this past year and a half. Thank you for being what he needed. Needs.”

“I’ve told you over and over again, Kurt – “

“Yeah, yeah, I know. He’s really good for me, he makes me so happy, he’s a really good kid, it’s not his fault he got shit parents, you love him like he was your blood, he’s family now, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera,” Kurt said with a smile.

“Damn right, ya rotten kid,” Burt said as he reached over and dared to ruffled his son’s hair. Kurt didn’t care what hour of the night it was or how close it was to bedtime when it didn’t matter – you don’t touch the hair. Kurt screeched and jumped out of Burt’s reach, and Burt chuckled. “Some things will never change. C’mon,” he urged, patting the seat of the chair. “Sit back down and tell me about your trip.”

Kurt, never one to pass up a chance to gush and wax poetically about New York, eagerly plopped himself back down and detailed their trip, almost to the minute. Except for the sex – SOME things must remain sacred, after all, and this was not Mercedes, this was his _dad._

Kurt rambled on and on, answering occasional questions from Burt, when a huge yawn came over him, threatening to split his head in two. “Wow, I’m tired. Finally. I couldn’t sleep on the plane or the bus. I am ready to hit the – oh crap!” he exclaimed. He sprang up from his seat, hurriedly taking care of his and his father’s water glasses and rushed out of the kitchen with Burt hot on his heels.

“What’s wrong, Kurt?”

“Dad, it’s 3am. Not only do I have school in the morning, but I sent Blaine upstairs hours ago and told him I’d be up ‘in a few minutes,’” he said with air quotes. “A few minutes was over several hours ago.”

“Calm down, Kurt. It’s okay. It’s not like he’ll think you ran away or anything. He probably figured out rather quickly that you would be longer than you thought and went to bed.”

“Still, I hate to do that to him.” Kurt ran up the stairs, pausing halfway through to call goodnight to Burt. He dashed down the hall to his room and skidded to a halt in the doorway. He was about to open his mouth to apologize, but immediately changed his mind when he saw the sight before him.

Blaine was huddled on the very edge of the bed fast asleep. He laid on top of the covers, his head on his own pillow and his arms in a death grip around Kurt’s pillow, snuggling it closely. His thumb on one hand was almost, but not quite, to his mouth, creating the illusion he was sucking on his thumb. It was both adorable and kind of heartbreaking, as Blaine looked as if he felt he had been abandoned.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispered, stroking Blaine’s gelled up curls that he had been too tired to wash before bed. “I’m here now.” Kurt took a moment to quickly brush his teeth and use the restroom, and he crawled into bed behind Blaine, completely blowing off his skincare routine. The moment the bed dipped with Kurt’s weight, Blaine rolled over and blindly reached for Kurt in his sleep. Kurt obliged him by pulling him close, and Blaine rested his head on Kurt’s chest with a satisfied hum.

Burt peeked in on his own way to bed. “Everything okay?”

“It is now,” Kurt said softly.

“Good. Go to sleep. I’m calling you boys in absent, in the morning, so don’t worry about waking up at any specific time.”

“Thanks Dad. I’m pretty sure Mike and Tina are the only Glee club members whose parents are making them go to school tomorrow, so it’s not as if we’ll be missed.”

Blaine stirred and mumbled unintelligibly, but Kurt shushed him and he immediately went back to sleep. Burt bade him goodnight and went off to bed. Kurt pulled the covers up around him and Blaine and snapped out the light. For once in a very, very long time, Kurt was asleep within moments of closing his eyes.

 


	58. Chapter 58

Kurt woke the next morning without the benefit of obnoxious cell phone alarms… or even more obnoxious stepbrothers. Even before he pried his eyelids open, he felt a distinct lack of Blaine – his arms were empty and Blaine’s place on the bed was cold. He walked to the bathroom rubbing his eyes and splashed his face with cold water to aid in waking up. Kurt decided to take advantage of the impromptu lazy day and didn’t bother changing out of his sleep clothes. At the top of the stairs, he could hear faint strains of music coming from the kitchen, so he headed in that direction.

In the kitchen, Blaine had the iPod in the dock turned down on low, and he was sitting at the table bopping to the music with books and notebooks spread out in front of him. Kurt giggled at the sight – his man was just far too cute for his own good - and Blaine whipped around to see Kurt in the doorway.

“Oh, hey Kurt,” he said. He stood quickly and bounced over to turn off the music. “I was just catching up on the homework I didn’t get around to doing before we left.”

“Good plan. I should probably do that today, too. It’s a good thing Dad called us out.”

“I figured that’s what happened when I woke up at ten and you and Finn were both still asleep. Your dad must’ve told you before you went to sleep or you would’ve been panicking just now.”

“Yeah, he did. Honey, I’m so sorry for taking so long to come upstairs to bed…”

“It’s okay, Kurt, don’t worry about it. No, really, babe,” he said, as Kurt still looked on the guilty side. “It’s okay.”

“You just looked so tiny – “

“Hey!”

“It’s not a short joke, I promise. You were just curled up in a teeny little ball, and you looked like a little boy who had been abandoned or something. I felt so bad.”

“Kurt, stop. It’s fine. What kept you so long anyway? And when did you finally get to bed?”

“I was talking with my dad. I told him about the apartment and the competition and all the other stuff we did.” Blaine smirked. “Well, not ALL the stuff we did, silly!” Kurt went on. “It was a really good talk, though. It’s been a long time since I have been able to sit down with my dad and just _talk_ with no interruptions. Can you believe I was up until 3am?”

“Wow, no wonder you slept in. Normally your internal clock is set for an unchangeable 6am, but here it is, 11:15, and you’re only just crawling out of bed.”

“Is it really that late?” he asked, though a quick peek at the clock on the microwave confirmed the time. “It felt soooo good, though.”

“I’ll bet it did.”

Kurt went back upstairs to retrieve his books and change into regular clothes that were somewhat of a mix between sleep clothes and his everyday designer items. He and Blaine sat across the table from each other for a half an hour before their stomachs started to grumble, and another half hour past that before their appetites could no longer be denied. Kurt whipped up a meal of soup and sandwiches for three; Finn had emerged from his bedroom by then. He scoffed at the study session, though Kurt took a few moments to lecture him about how fast finals were approaching and he should start preparing sooner rather than later. “Every mark will go on your transcript, Finn, and whether someone looks at it now or later, the grades that are on it need to be the best they can be.” Finn waved him off, but not before Kurt extracted a promise for him that he would join them for study time very soon. Finn wandered back to his bedroom, well fed, to dress and call Rachel to make plans for the rest of the day.

Hours later, Kurt pushed his chair back from the kitchen table and stretched, earning him a very loud crack in his back. “Ouch!”

“You okay, baby?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. We’ve just been sitting for far too long. I think by now we’ve more than made up for any time we’ve missed, because lord knows we’re both capable of teaching ourselves far more than McKinley is.”

Blaine groaned. “God, isn’t that the truth. I never thought I’d miss Dalton, but occasionally it really is nice to be challenged.”

Kurt busied himself with preparing dinner for the family while Blaine gathered his school work together in his backpack. He also went to Kurt’s room and collected his suitcase from there as well and hauled it to the front door. Kurt noticed Blaine shuffling around and left the kitchen to see what was going on; his face fell a bit when he realized what he was doing.

“You know you don’t have to leave, right? My dad doesn’t care how long you stay.”

Blaine nodded. “I do know. And thank you. But I think it’s time. We’re back in Lima now, so I’d like to get back to my Lima routine. And sometimes one just wants to be home so one can run around in his underwear whenever he wants,” he said, grinning.

“You could probably do that here, too. Though Finn would take it as an invitation to join you.” He blushed when he thought about how what he said could’ve been taken. “Well, not _join you_ join you. But he probably would’ve decided that if you could run around in your underwear, he could too.”

“Yeah but Carole…” Blaine protested.

“ _Carole_ lives with three men. Granted, one of those men is infinitely more tasteful and refined than the other two, but still. She has definitely seen guys in their undies before. She’s just relieved when the undies are clean and aren’t riddled with holes.”

Blaine shuddered. “I love your dad. I really, really, do. But a mental picture of your dad running around in nothing but holey drawers just went through my head, and … yeah.”

“Okay, yeah, it is now officially time to drop this subject. _Gross._ ” Kurt looked a little green at the thought. “So, are you at least staying for dinner?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna need you to drive me back, and you’re busy, and I probably don’t have anything good to eat at my place anyway, so at least if I eat here I know the food won’t kill me.”

“And we can’t have that, now, can we?” said Kurt, dropping a little kiss on Blaine’s forehead as he turned back to the meal on the stove.

Blaine walked up behind Kurt and wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist. “No, we can’t,” he whispered into Kurt’s ear. “If anything’s going to kill me, I want it to be the sex, so I can die a happy, _satisfied_ man.”

The reaction Blaine got was SO worth the trouble he’d be in with Kurt once he realized that Burt had entered the kitchen a few moments ago and had heard the whole thing.

**xXxXxXx**

Finals were tough. The separation was even tougher. Kurt and Blaine discovered very quickly that they were simply incompatible study partners.  And this time it wasn’t even entirely the fact that they had a hard time keeping their hands off each other. Blaine found it easier to study with rock music at full volume, while Kurt preferred classical or no music at all. Kurt would talk to himself while he read or answered questions on his study guide, while Blaine would rather he “speak up or shut up,” as he so rudely said to Kurt. He apologized as soon as he said it, but it opened their eyes to the truth: for everyday studying, it was no big deal, but for finals, they simply must separate or their study styles would drive each other crazy.

McKinley’s reputation for academics was rather low, and there wasn’t much of a challenge, but Blaine and Kurt were both in all of the highest level classes available. Even though they were no Dalton Academy, finals still required a certain amount of preparation; they could not bullshit their way through the exams.

On the first day of final exams, Kurt was called down to the office by Principal Figgins. Kurt approached his office warily, and upon entering, the first thing he said was, “What’s wrong?”

“Absolutely nothing’s wrong, Mr. Hummel, what makes you think that?”

“Well, you have to admit, every time I’ve been called down to the office before has been about something bad.”

“I am happy to tell you that today, I have some excellent news for you. Due to your near perfect academic record and your past and current extra-curricular activities, you have been named the valedictorian of McKinley High School’s 2012 senior class!” Mr. Figgins said enthusiastically.

Kurt, however, was nowhere near as enthused about the news as Mr. Figgins was. “Does this require I make a speech?” he asked cautiously.

“But of course! This is your chance to share the wisdom you’ve gained throughout your high school career with your fellow graduates!”

Kurt chuckled humorlessly. “With all due respect, Principal Figgins, and unfortunately that’s not much, I refuse the appointment as valedictorian. I have nothing to say to the vast majority of the senior class. Or the school as a whole, for that matter. These are the people that made my life miserable. They called my father specifically to call me derogatory names. They bullied me, and if they didn’t say the words or push me down themselves, they stood by while others did without doing a single thing. They make it so I can’t hug my boyfriend or hold his hand as we walk together to our next class, even though this is something that straight couples do every single day without a second thought and without fear. Why in the WORLD would you think I would want to say anything _nice_ to these people? I’m sorry, Principal Figgins, but my answer is a resounding _HELL NO!”_

The principal sat back in his chair looking confused and a bit stunned. “I – I’m afraid I don’t know the protocol for someone refusing to be valedictorian. No one’s ever done it before.”

“Well, you’re going to have to find out. Goodbye, Mr. Figgins.” Kurt grabbed his messenger bag from the seat next to him and strode quickly out of the principal’s office. He was just in time for his first final of the day, and he hoped he could concentrate. If the morning’s news had done anything to jeopardize his perfect GPA in any way, he’d be back in the principal’s office raising hell.

Thankfully, as soon as he received the test paper, he knew he’d be fine despite being upset earlier. He had studied well, and the answers flowed easily. His second period class went just as smoothly, and just as he was turning his test paper in, twenty minutes early, no less, he heard an announcement over the intercom.

**_Blaine Anderson, please report to the principal’s office as soon as possible._ **

Kurt had not had a chance to tell him about his morning, so if he didn’t act fast, Blaine would be blindsided. He snatched his phone out of his pocket and fumbled out a text.

_B: BEWARE!! If he’s calling for you for the same reason he called for me, you’re probably not going to like it any more than I did. TREAD CAREFULLY!_

Kurt knew that Blaine’s third period was a study hall, so he’d likely be seeing the principal then. He hoped his warning would be received in time.

Despite being desperate to know what was going on in that principal’s office, Kurt still had an exam to complete. Kurt was lucky, though – third period was French, and since it was fact that he knew the French language far better than the teacher herself, he knew a perfect score was a given. Hell, he could probably speak Russian to the teacher and she wouldn’t know the difference. The exam was a 200 word essay on where he saw himself in his life in ten years, all written _en francais_ , of course. Kurt was able to scrawl out 300 perfectly conjugated words in flawless script on the page before most of the class wrote out fifty. He packed up his belongings, tossed his paper on the teacher’s desk, and made a beeline for the principal’s office.

He met Blaine just as he was coming out the door, looking like he had no idea what to think.

“Well, I’m sure you probably have a good idea at what just went down in there,” Blaine started. “Apparently I was second in line. I want you to know that I did the same thing you did.”

“Blaine, you didn’t have to do this just because I did…”

“I didn’t. I did it for me. I declined because I didn’t want to have anything to do with being a good role model for this group of assholes. Turns out, my boyfriend and I think a LOT alike. I didn’t see your text until Figgins was telling me the story of your refusal. So know that this was all my decision.”

“I wonder what he’s going to do now,” Kurt wondered.

“I don’t know, but the man is sweating it out, that’s for sure. He seemed relatively calm when I walked through the door, but when I turned him down, the tops of his ears turned red and I could SWEAR I saw smoke coming out of them.”

Kurt smiled slightly. “You know, I don’t hate the guy or anything, though I think he’s an AWFUL leader of the school. But I have to admit, the fact that he’s scrambling makes me a little bit happy.”

“Me too. It’ll be interesting to see how this all pans out.”

It didn’t take too long. As soon as they had arrived to fourth period lunch and sat down at their usual table, another announcement was heard over the loudspeaker.

**_Quinn Fabray, please report to the principal’s office as soon as possible._ **

“Oh THIS ought to be good,” Blaine laughed.

“I don’t actually know what to think about this,” said Kurt. “With Quinn, it could go any number of ways. But I can pretty much guarantee she’ll come looking for us when she’s done.”

Quinn didn’t manage to track down the boys until Glee practice that day. Nationals was done, but they were still meeting to sing together, since their days as a complete group were very much numbered.

“Hey boys,” she said, sounding as if she had something up her sleeve.

“Hey Fabray,” said Blaine, a bit warily. “What’s up?”

Quinn raised an eyebrow and looked at them expectantly. “Come on now, boys. You two are the _two best students_ in the school. Surely you can put two and two together and come up with the reason why I was called down to the office today?”

Kurt nodded. “So, what’d you do?”

“I took it,” she said simply. Blaine and Kurt both looked at her curiously. “But not entirely for the reason you think. Sure, I will admit that I wanted Valedictorian. I knew I’d never get around you two, though, so I didn’t dare to hope. But all of a sudden, here I am being offered the honor, and even though it’s by default only, I still want it. I never did get Prom Queen, and while valedictorian is nothing like that, it still gives me a chance to be remembered for something good and not just ‘the girl who got knocked up in sophomore year.’”

“I get it. I really do,” said Kurt. “But you said ‘not entirely for the reason I think.’ That was the reason I thought. What’s the reason I didn’t think?”

She looked at them both earnestly. “You two are my other reason. Well, the way you’ve been treated. The way I figure it, the valedictory speech is my way of addressing things that are wrong with this school and the student body without fear of retaliation. I’m so sorry I couldn’t say anything sooner. You guys have been through so much, both here and elsewhere, and I feel horrible that I didn’t, I _couldn’t_ get involved. But I had to – “

“You had to look out for number one,” Blaine finished. “It’s fine. You weren’t one of the ones treating us like shit, so we’re not going to hold it against you. But we did okay. We all lived to make it through to the other side, no matter how difficult it was on the way.”

“Yeah, we did.” Quinn reached out to squeeze both Blaine and Kurt’s hands. “It’s been a rough few years. And I have things to say to the people who made it rough. To the people who locked Artie in a porta-potty. To the people who slammed you into lockers. To the people wanted to hurt you after dances. To the people who said horrible things to me when I was pregnant. And to the people who ruined so much of our clothing with all those slushies. And after I speak, I have a plan. We need to have a meeting of the Glee club, sans authority figures, after the real meeting. Our senior year is going to go out with a **_BANG_**!”


	59. Chapter 59

“I’d like to go back in time and slap the people who invented polyester. And the ones who designed the graduation cap and gown for that matter. There never has been and never will be a way to look fabulous in _THIS_ ,” Kurt lamented, having tried every possible way of belting, tying, clipping, and tailoring his graduation gown and finding nothing that looked in any way at all flattering. He couldn’t get the tilt of his mortarboard just right, either – the only thing it was good for was flattening his carefully styled hair. “Don’t even get me started on the fact that the high honor cords don’t match, either – could they not have chosen a metallic gold instead of a bright yellow ‘gold’?”

“Kurt, nobody looks good in these things. They’re like drivers’ license or passport photos – nobody looks good in those, either.”

Kurt went to his desk and dug out a small navy blue folder, and then he grabbed his wallet off his dresser. Flipping them both open, he said, “I will have you know that I look amazing in both of my photos. The raw material had much more potential thanthis… this _thing_ ,” he spat, grabbing the gown gingerly between his thumb and forefinger as if he was trying to pick up something truly repulsive and didn’t want to get its “cooties” all over him.

Blaine studied the photos carefully. “What do you know, you DO look amazing. These are the only ID photos I’ve ever seen that don’t suck. Have you seen what mine looks like?” Blaine hauled out his own wallet and slid his ID out of the slot, handing it to Kurt. It appeared that Blaine had just woken up after having trouble going to sleep – the dark shadows under his eyes tattled on him – and his hair practically exploded. He had bed head on one side and rebellious curls on the other and it was so ridiculous and yet adorable that Kurt burst out laughing.

“Oh honey, I’d cry if I looked like that in my pictures, but somehow, it just seems right for you. How that level of pitiful looks so good on you, I will never understand, but to my extreme amazement, it works.”

“Come on, boys!” Carole called up the stairs. “We’re going to need to leave soon or we’re going to be late!”

Blaine went to the top of the stairs and hollered back. “Kurt and I are almost ready – we’ll be down in a couple minutes!” He went back into Kurt’s room and took one more peek in the mirror over his mother’s vanity. He allowed Kurt to style his hair that morning, and it looked really good. He attempted to push an errant curl back into place, but Kurt protested, stating that that loose curl was on purpose because he “wouldn’t want to look too symmetrical.”

“If I didn’t already know what to expect today, I wouldn’t care whether we were late or if we even made it at all, but this I have got to see,” Kurt said, taking one last look in the mirror himself. Pinning his favorite airplane brooch on his robe, he declared himself ready and ushered Blaine out the door before him.

Finn was several steps behind them. The moment they appeared in the living room, Carole held her hand to her heart and cried, “My boys! Look at them, they’re so handsome!” She wiped a tear from her eye and spun around to pick up her camera. They groaned in unison when they saw it, but she assured them that there was no way in h-e-double-hockey-sticks (“Oh god, don’t mention the hockey team,” Kurt begged, remembering far too many slushies courtesy of Rick “The Stick” Nelson in his high school career) were they getting out of having to pose for as many pictures as she deemed necessary.

Which was a lot. They each posed alone. Then in twos. Then all three. And in every order and pose possible. Blaine was heard whining that he absolutely did NOT want to stand next to Finn under any circumstances. “No offense, Finn, but it’s the whole ‘young sapling growing next to the mighty oak’ thing. We look ridiculous standing next to each other. I look like your kid – WAY kid – brother instead of someone who’s less than a month older than you.” Carole told him to quit his whining and stand next to Finn. Resigned, Blaine offered a meek “yes ma’am” and stood next to Finn post haste.

When they had finally stood for all the pictures Carole wanted, they really needed to get moving. The Glee club was performing at the ceremony and they wanted to get their early to warm up, even if their song wasn’t until the very end. They all piled into Kurt’s Navigator and headed to McKinley, where the graduation ceremony would be held in the gym.

“Do you think we’ll pull it off?” Blaine whispered in Kurt’s ear.

“Please, we’ve left Lauren and the A/V club in charge. They’re more devious than Puck and Santana put together.”

**xXxXxXx**

**_“Attention, attention,”_** Principal Figgins ordered, tapping on the microphone to be sure it was working. **_“Welcome to the William McKinley High School Class of 2012 graduation ceremony. We will be moving through this ceremony as quickly as possible; I have again rented space to Alcoholics Anonymous for $10 a head, and since the number of drunks in this town is growing steadily, the auditorium can no longer hold them all and they’ll be meeting here in the gym. Your motivational speaker didn’t feel like coming today, and we have cut the Jazz Band’s performance, so without further ado, let us skip straight to the reading of the graduates and the awarding of the diplomas.”_**

Artie, Blaine, Rachel, Mike, Tina, Quinn, and Kurt were all high honors students and therefore received their diplomas before the rest of the student body. As their names were called, they collected their diplomas from Coach Beiste and quickly made their way to the risers at the side of the makeshift stage to await their time to perform. When the high honors and regular honors students (which included Mercedes, Santana, and Lauren) had been announced, the names of the rest of their class were read. Sam, Finn, Brittany, and Puck joined the rest of the New Directions, and finally it was time for the valedictory speech. Figgins had originally wanted Quinn to speak at the beginning of the ceremony, but she had requested to speak at the end just before the New Directions sang, and Figgins, not wanting to chase away yet another valedictory candidate, was more than happy to oblige and switch the schedule.

Principal Figgins introduced Quinn, and after the cheers and whistles died down, she approached the microphone and began to speak.

**_“All my life, I wanted to mean something to someone. I wanted a handsome boyfriend on my arm. Multiple attempts, however, all ended miserably. I wanted to be junior prom queen, but you played a cruel joke and voted in someone else who wasn’t even eligible and sure as hell didn’t want it. And I wanted to be Valedictorian, which as you can see, I am, but I didn’t want to get it like this. I am up here by default. There were TWO people ahead of me who were asked to be Valedictorian, but each one of them refused. Neither one wanted to be responsible for making a sappy, reminiscent, motivational speech to the people who made their lives hell on a daily, no, HOURLY basis. And who can blame them? They didn’t have a lot to be happy about here._ **

**_“Your two candidates for Valedictorian were Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson. Two people who, DESPITE being harassed and taunted and ridiculed for just wanting to be themselves, managed to come out of this hellhole with perfect academic records. These two men are likely to be your bosses one day._ **

**_“Look behind me. Those people on those risers over there? The McKinley High New Directions. They are bargain basement of the social ladder, according to you. Artie over there? Accepted on full scholarship to the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television. Rachel Berry? Full scholarship to the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts. Mike Chang and Brittany Pierce? They’ve been offered positions with The LXD, a.k.a. the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Sam Evans? Football scholarship with OSU. And the list goes on. You’ve called them freaks, geeks, and losers. I call them an inspiration._ **

**_“You would all do well to remember that the ass you kicked today is likely to be the same ass you’ll need to kiss tomorrow. So be nice, because nobody likes an asshole. Thank you.”_ **

There was a moment of silence after Quinn left the stage; nobody seemed to know what to do after such a speech. Finally, several people clapped cautiously, leading others to do the same.

**_”Um, thank you Miss Fabray. For the final segment of our ceremony, I give you, the McKinley High New Directions.”_ **

The Glee club members scrambled into their places and began a rousing rendition of “Loser Like Me” as their final “fuck you” to the school. They sang it with extra meaning infused into every word. Kurt made sure to make eye contact with Azimio when he sang the line, “I’ll see you when you wash my car.”

As they brought the song to a close, the members of the A/V club wheeled out Sue’s confetti cannons – in addition to the two she purchased the previous year, she had obtained two more, so they were placed evenly around the senior class. The student body, used to the theatrics from the Glee club, thought nothing of it.

As the New Directions brought the song to a close, the cannons were set off to fire on the final Loser Like Me.

*BOOM*

“AHHHHHHH!”

“EEEEEEEEEKKKK!”

Shrieks and squeals were heard throughout the gym. Several hundred members of the student body were positively drenched in a rainbow of cold, colored ice; the cannons were rigged to slushie the graduation class en masse rather than sprinkle them with the expected confetti. The teachers who were on stage participating in the ceremony got nailed, too; they felt bad about Coach Beiste and especially Miss Pillsbury, who was probably freaking out right about now, but they just couldn’t be bothered about bitchslapping Principal Figgins and Coach Sylvester with that particular iceberg.

“RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!” Puck screamed, and the New Directions, laughing and cheering and high-fiving each other, booked it out of the gym as fast as they could go. They piled themselves in Kurt’s Navigator and Mercedes’ family’s minivan and peeled out of the parking lot, watching Figgins chase behind their vehicles as they left him behind in their wake.

“Oh, my, GOD,” Blaine panted as he tried to catch his breath. “Quinn, your idea was brilliant. Absolutely fucking BRILLIANT!”

“Thank you, Blaine,” Quinn said sweetly. “I’m pretty smart for being third choice for Valedictorian, huh?”

“Considering I would’ve never thought of that, I think I was mis-ranked or something. All hail Quinn Fabray!” Blaine leaned over in a mock bow in his seat. Quinn giggled and pretended to curtsey as best she could while sitting.

The muffled sounds of _Defying Gravity_ came from Kurt’s messenger bag, which was sitting at Blaine’s feet in the passenger seat. “Crap. Honey, will you grab that for me?”

Blaine retrieved the phone and checked the display. “Uh oh, it’s your dad. Want me to pick up?”

“No, it’s okay. I better do it. Hello, Dad,” he said as he hit answer on the call.

“Um, yeah, I knew what was going to happen.”

Kurt’s face began to crack a grin. “No, actually, though it kinda looked like something I might think up, didn’t it? It was all Quinn’s idea.”

Quinn squawked in protest in the back seat – how could Kurt tell on her?

Kurt took his phone away from his ear for a moment. “Hey Quinn, my dad says, good one!” He brought the phone back up to his face to finish the call. “Yeah, I’m sorry we bailed on you, but Figgins was gaining on us pretty fast. For a guy who never leaves his desk, he sure can run!”

“Um, give us another ten minutes and then meet us at 2nd and Sycamore and we’ll pick you up there. I don’t think we dare show our faces at the school right now. Okay, bye Dad.”

“So… he’s not mad?” Quinn ventured softly.

“No, he and Carole are actually kind of proud of that stunt we pulled. Dad’s always felt guilty that he had to pull me from Dalton and send me back to McKinley, so this was kind of the middle finger that he’s always wanted to flip. He said, and I quote, ‘I am proud to know you all!’”

Everyone in the car laughed. “We gotta pick up Dad and Carole in a few minutes, but I need to get rid of a couple of you to make room for them. Rachel, you and ‘Cedes live pretty close by, so I’m gonna run you guys home, and then I’ll bring the rest of you home after we get them.”

Quinn was the last one to be dropped off after picking Burt and Carole up near the school. Kurt and Blaine hopped out of the vehicle to walk her to the door before saying goodbye.

“Thanks for all the stuff you said up there. I doubt any of it will have gotten through anyone’s heads, but  for those of us who were actually listening, it was a great speech.”

“Thank you. Like I say, it was the least I can do. And hey, I am going to remember the looks on everyone’s faces for the rest of my life! I wish I was an artist so I could paint some pictures of the Great Slushie Explosion of 2012!”

“Classic, my friend,” said Blaine, patting her on the arm. “Truly classic.”

Quinn gave both of them hugs and extracted promises to keep in touch over the summer before they returned to the car to go home. Burt and Carole left the boys alone to go do their own thing for a few hours before dinner; at that time, they were all going to go out to dinner with Rachel and her dads to celebrate.

Blaine and Kurt trudged upstairs and peeled off their graduation attire. Kurt carefully detached his brooch before tossing the gown in the trash.

“Not gonna save that for your memory box?” Blaine teased.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Yes Blaine. I, Kurt Hummel, am going to preserve a cheaply made polyester sheet, which probably still contains the sweat from the sweatshop in which it was made, for all eternity. That sounds _so_ like me.” He stopped for a moment and retrieved it from the trash. “It might make a good weed barrier for the rock garden. I felt like I was suffocating while wearing it – I can’t see how any weeds would even want to try to grow though this thing.”

Kurt flopped down on the bed and covered his eyes with his forearm. “It’s all starting to hit me. We’re DONE, Blaine. Totally done with high school. It’s not like the first day of summer vacation where you know that there is an eventual return date looming in the background. We aren’t going back – it’s all us from now on.”

Blaine straddled Kurt’s body and sat with his rear end on Kurt’s thighs. “That’s right, Kurt. It _is_ all us from now on. Aren’t you excited to have that many fewer people to have to answer to? Aren’t you _excited_ to be able to make all of your own decisions? We can do whatever we want. We only answer to ourselves and each other.”

“It’s not so much school… it’s that we may never see some of these people again.”

“Well, we’ll just have to try harder, won’t we? There isn’t a person in that Glee club that wouldn’t love to get together with you any time you called. They love you, Kurt. You may lose touch with everyone else outside of the Glee club, but the New Directions will always remain in our lives one way or another.”

Kurt nodded. “Yeah, I guess. They love you too, you know. You may have been with us for a shorter period of time, but you have a way of forcing your way into everyone’s hearts.”

“I love them, too. Even Santana. In a ‘love her or else’ kind of way.”

“That’s the only way you can.”


	60. Chapter 60

****

“God, I love her,” Kurt declared as the episode of _The Real Housewives of Atlanta_ that they were watching came to a close. “Nene doesn’t take any crap from anyone. Oh look! They’re about to show a rerun of the Housewives of DC! I wonder if it’s that one where – “

Blaine gently pried the remote control from Kurt’s hand and clicked off the TV.

“Hey! I was gonna watch that!” Kurt pouted.

Blaine silently slid off the couch and knelt at Kurt’s feet. “Baby, can we talk for a bit?”

“Can we talk…?” Kurt repeated, all of a sudden becoming somewhat frightened. Those words were never a good thing to hear. “Blaine?”

“Oh Kurt, no. I really do want to have a real discussion with you that has absolutely no hint of any breakup talk anywhere near it. I… I just have something really important I want to ask you.”

Kurt took in Blaine’s position on the floor, and his brain leapt to conclusions for the second time in a couple of minutes. Blaine saw the look in Kurt’s eyes and laughed. “Jeez, I’m making this complicated, aren’t I? No, I’m not asking you that, either. Not today. Eventually, yes, but not right now. I just wanted to get your attention so we can talk. I’m guessing that by inadvertently making you panic, I’ve gotten your attention?”

Kurt chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. If you’re not going to propose or beg me for forgiveness for something, get back up here on the couch next to me so my heartbeat can attempt to go back to normal.” He patted the seat next to him and Blaine immediately plopped himself down. “Now, what is it that you need to ask me?”

“It’s just that… I was thinking. We spend a lot of time together, but we don’t _live_ together. And we don’t really _know_ what it’s like to actually live together and I’m kind of wondering how it’s going to go in New York. What if the things we find cute and quirky about each other drive us absolutely nuts? What if it doesn’t work?”

“Sweetheart, it’s going to work. We love each other far too much to let each other go over things about each other that we don’t like without trying to work them out.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to know ahead of time whether or not it will work?”

“Are you having doubts about us, Blaine?” Kurt asked, a little scared of the answer.

“No!” Blaine practically shouted. “God no. I just thought maybe it would be best to figure it out before we go so we can…adjust our plans if necessary?”

“So what is it that you’re really saying, Blaine? ‘Cause I know you’re building up to something, but the unknown is really starting to freak me the hell out, so could you just take the direct route to the point, please?”

“I’m asking you if you will move in with me, Kurt. Now. So we can live together over the summer before we make that huge move to New York that will change our lives. It’s going to be so different there, Kurt, and once we’re there, we’re _there_. We need to be committed to our lives in New York and our lives together 100%, so I think it would be prudent to work out any issues now.”

Kurt went silent for a moment, which worried Blaine. “Kurt?”

“Shh, I’m thinking.”

After a few moments, Kurt spoke again. “Actually, this idea is… not bad. Not bad at all, really. I don’t know much about living with someone else. I was the semi-spoiled only child for so long, and I suspect I have a great deal I need to learn about living with someone. I’ve only had a brother for a little less than two years, and we didn’t share a room for very long. That didn’t go well at all, but that’s because at that time he thought I was still in love with him and he was afraid I was going to put the moves on him in his sleep.  I still don’t know if we could share a room without driving each other crazy, but that’s mainly because he’s Oscar Madison and I’m Felix Unger. You’re not a Felix, but you’re not an Oscar, either, thank God. The only Oscar I want to live with is the award. I don’t think we’ll find ourselves as incompatible roommates, but I think your idea to discover and work out differences ahead of time is really pretty smart. We need to be all in when we get there.

“So, my answer is a tentative yes. I realize I’m eighteen years old and I am no longer legally required to do as my father says, but I really would like some time to speak with him. His opinion means everything to me. But I’ll do that tonight, and if he doesn’t raise any issues that we need to discuss first, I’ll start packing immediately. Okay?”

Kurt barely got out the word “okay” before Blaine had jumped up from the couch and pulled Kurt up with him for a huge Larry Appleton/Balki Bartokomous-style jumping and dancing hug. “This is going to be so great, Kurt! I asked Mrs. Christopherson a week or so ago when I decided I was going to ask you to move in to make sure it was okay with her and you’ve still got her completely charmed – she’s excited for you to be here permanently. I think she likes you more than she likes me!”

“That’s probably because I make a mean espresso and keep her company while you do all the maintenance stuff for her.”

Kurt looked at his cell phone. “It’s 5:30, and Dad will probably be home soon. I’d ask you to come home with me for dinner, but this is a discussion that I think I should have with him by myself.”

Blaine pouted briefly but nodded. “Okay. I totally understand. I will miss you, though. Call me as soon as you’re done?”

Kurt kissed Blaine gently on the lips. “But of course! Love you!”

“Love you too, Kurt.”

**xXxXxXx**

“I’m actually surprised neither of you came up with this idea sooner,” Burt said as soon as Kurt brought up the topic of moving in with Blaine.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I kind of wondered if we’d be having this conversation right after your birthday weekend in Columbus. The hearts in your eyes were so big.”

“We really did have a great time on that trip. It may have only been a couple of nights, but it just felt right being in his presence every free hour and going to bed with him at night.”

“Well yes, but spending 24/7 with someone on vacation and spending 24/7 with them in real life are two completely different animals. You can leave your troubles behind you on a vacation, but in real life there is nowhere to run from them – you must face whatever is bothering you head on. And real life doesn’t interfere with you so much on vacation. You can be in your own little dream world as much as you want, but in your own home, real life is there all the time, doing its best to mess with you and everything you hold dear. Your ability to work out problems and compromise is going to come into play every single moment, and let’s face it, kid, your patience and problem-solving skills need a little work. I think this will be good for you.”

“So you don’t object?” Kurt asked.

“I don’t think my opinion is what counts here, Kurt. But for the record, no, I don’t object. I want you to have every happiness, and I want you to have them with Blaine.”

“Thanks Dad,” Kurt said, giving his father a huge hug.

“So, when am I losing you to Blaine?”

“You’re not losing me, Dad. I won’t be living here, but I’ll be nearby. We can see each other whenever we want.”

“Yeah, but I’ll miss having you under my roof. Mornings won’t be the same without the impenetrable cloud of your hairspray,” Burt kidded.

“Dad!” Kurt scolded, but he laughed. “For the record, I’ll miss you too you know. Carole and Finn, too, of course, but you the most. When it’s been just you and your dad against the world for so long, you tend to get used to the constant presence.”

“Well, it’s nice to know that you’re running toward Blaine and not away from me.”

“Never, Dad. I would never run away from you.”

They discussed plans for Kurt to move and decided that starting the next night, Kurt would live full time at Blaine’s place, but he would move his things over the course of a few days. Blaine’s home was quite small, so if he moved in shifts, he could unpack each haul at the end of the day and determine what else there was room for him to bring. Kurt’s furniture, minus his mother’s vanity, would stay in his room in Burt’s house, because Blaine already had furniture enough. Kurt would pack all of his belongings that didn’t fit at Blaine’s and move them into the attic, essentially turning Kurt’s room into a guest room. When they moved to New York, everything would already be packed and ready for him to take with him.

Burt offered to spend some time helping Kurt pack, but it was an offer that they both knew Kurt would not accept. Kurt wanted to clean out as he packed and not just throw things into boxes willy nilly. He did, however, accept Burt’s offer to run to the supermarket and collect some boxes for his things.

Kurt grabbed a box of trash bags and headed up to his room. He opened his closet door and pulled a trash bag out of the box to hold any items he planned on donating. It ended up being a trip through clothing memory lane. The Single Ladies leotard, the McKinley football jersey, the Cheerios uniform, the Dalton blazer and tie, the Likes Boys t-shirt… all of those items escaped the donation bag and went into a storage pile. He would never get rid of any of them since they all gave him so many good memories, but they weren’t necessary to bring to Blaine’s.

As Kurt was dumping a pile of clothing that still had faint slushie markings on them into the donation bag and being thankful that he would never have to take a slushie to the face again, Burt came back with the promised boxes, and Kurt decided to take a break. He picked up his phone and hit speed dial #1, for Blaine, of course.

He didn’t even offer Blaine a greeting before he said, “Guess what I’m doing?”

“I don’t know, what?”

“I am sitting here in the middle of a clothing explosion, trying to decide what things to donate and which things I’m going to bring to your house.”

Blaine squealed. A high-pitched screech that normally only Kurt could manage. “REALLY?!?! Yay!!! Can I come and help?”

“Not tonight, honey. I’m just going to sort enough stuff to get at my bed, and then I’m going to call it a night. Tomorrow, though, I promise.”

“Okay, great! I have to go work at the garage for a little while in the morning, but after that, I am totally there.”

“Sounds good. I could use the help. I have more stuff than I thought I did. Even though I cleaned out a lot of stuff when we moved from the old house into this one, it seems like it’s built back up again.” Kurt picked up a few things he thought he had purged in the last move. In fact, he swore he had, but apparently they resisted donation and followed him. He stuffed them far down in the bag, just in case, and continued his sorting. “And it’s different this time. Before when I was packing, I was packing things up to move to a new house, and I wasn’t as careful with my decisions of what to keep and what to get rid of. But now I’m packing up to move to a new _life_ and it seems like it’s that much more important to do this right.”

“Well, don’t stress yourself out too much, babe. This should be an exciting time for you. It sure is for me, because I’ve been so sure that you would be moving in that I’ve spent every moment since you left making sure there’s plenty of room for you.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet, Blaine!”

“Not sweet, just part of the transition from a household of one to a household of two.”

“Well, regardless, I think you’re wonderful. And I can’t wait to move in. The current plan is for me to start staying at your – “

“Our,” Blaine corrected.

“OUR place as of tomorrow, but move in over a few days so we can unpack me as we go. You know, just to make sure there’s enough space for everything before we bring over more. Any objections?”

“Yes.”

Kurt was startled. He hadn’t expected any problems. “Wh-what’s that?” he stuttered out.

“That you’re not here with me tonight.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep, that’s it.”

“You ass, you had me thinking there was some sort of huge problem.”

“But there _is_ ,” Blaine insisted. “And you’re not here to help me to _take care of it_ ,” he said suggestively. Kurt could just HEAR the eyebrow waggle in his voice.

“ _Oh dear lord,_ ” Kurt mumbled. “Aaaaaaannnddd with that, I am going to hang up now. I’m going to finish what I’m doing so I can locate my bed and get some sleep, and you’re going to take care of whatever needs taking care of by yourself. You’re a big boy, I’m sure you can handle it and oh my god, forget I ever said that because I know where your brain is going.”

Blaine chuckled to himself. Yes, his brain did indeed follow the path Kurt had made for it.

“I love you. And call me when you’re done at the garage and I can come and get you. Or if Dad’s done at the same time, just come on over with him. I’ll try to have my car packed with the first batch by the time you get here so we can go right over to start unloading.”

“Sounds great, Kurt. I love you too. And I’m so happy this is really happening – you don’t even know.”

“I think I have an inkling. I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight sweetie!”

“’Night Kurt.”

Kurt busied himself with dismantling the clothing bomb that had assembled itself on his bed. It was surprisingly easy; ever since he and Blaine had become _active,_ he had fewer uses and much less desire for the complicated buckles and buttons on some of his fancier pieces. He kept a few of his true favorites and more timeless pieces, but the rest were set aside in favor of soft fabrics and easier accessibility.

Finally he cleaned up the last few pieces of clothing on his bed, and he was ready to turn in for the night. He still had a ways to go with his closet but he was proud of his accomplishment so far. After brushing his teeth and washing his face at the sink, he went to his vanity to apply his skincare products. He sat down carefully and picked up each bottle one by one. It hit him that the next time he’d be in this room using his products, he would be a guest in this home, no longer a full time resident. It brought a couple of tears to his eyes, but they did not spill over.

 _So this is what it’s like to grow up,_ he thought.

 


	61. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have strong opinions about who bottoms during smut, please keep them to yourself. I don't enjoy being told I suck just because I believe that sometimes couples like to switch.
> 
> (sorry - got a rude comment earlier today and I believe that while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it's not cool to be a jerk about it)

Kurt was knee deep in his memory box when Blaine entered the room. He had already gone through the box when they moved to the new house so he knew there was nothing in there to get rid of, but there were so many good memories in that box that he never missed an opportunity to sit for a few minutes and reminisce. And besides, there were some amazing recent memories in the box to look back on now.

“Whatcha looking at?” Blaine said, startling Kurt out of his thoughts.

“Oh, hey Blaine,” he said as he patted the floor next to him in invitation for Blaine to sit down. Blaine plopped down on the patch of carpet and dropped a kiss on Kurt’s cheek before he took a good look at what was in Kurt’s hand.

“This is Mr. Blankie. He was my best friend when I was a baby up until I was about four.” Mr. Blankie was a baby blue colored square about a foot wide made of ultra soft minky-chenille fabric. Even after being worn and worried and washed multiple times, he was still cozy and comforting. “He was actually much larger, but this is from the center of the blanket – the edges unraveled after constant use and this was all that could be salvaged.”

Blaine gently dragged his fingers across the delicate material. “No wonder you loved that thing. Even after all this time, that fabric feels so good. I want a shirt made out of this stuff.”

“I haven’t ever washed it since my mom packed it away when I outgrew it. I still smell the detergent she used to use – which unfortunately has been discontinued – and sometimes I can even detect a trace of her perfume as well.”

“Do you have any pictures with you and Mr. Blankie? I betcha baby Kurt was adorable.”

“I do, but they’re in photo albums packed away somewhere. I’m going to have to sit down with Dad sometime and divvy them up so we each have some memories.”

“You should have your dad buy a scanner so you can scan all the photos. Then you each can have a copy of everything.”

“Yeah, maybe sometime,” Kurt said, putting Mr. Blankie back in the box. He began to pack other mementos on top of the box. Just as Kurt was about to put the lid back on, something caught Blaine’s eye.

“Hey, is that the program from when we saw Rent?” Kurt blushed slightly and nodded. “What else do you have in here?” Blaine reached over and carefully grabbed a handful of the things that were on the top in the box. In that batch of items was a paper takeout menu from the Chinese restaurant they went to on the night of Kurt’s first day at Dalton, some movie ticket stubs, a paper sleeve from the coffee shop with Blaine’s name written on it, a scrap of paper… “Oh my gosh, Kurt! Is this… it is! This is that little piece of paper I wrote my number on for you that day you snuck into Dalton, isn’t it?”

Kurt nodded, his face a little redder. Blaine had one more item in his hands. It was a little notebook. Kurt grabbed for it the moment he saw it, but he was too late – Blaine was already flipping the pages. He stopped when he came to one page. A page with Blaine + Kurt penned inside a red heart.

“Awww Kurt, this is so sweet! When is this from?”

Kurt hung his head. “Remember that day when you dragged me off to the Warblers’ rehearsal room and proposed the Gap Attack to the council?”

Blaine’s face fell. “That notebook? You were writing in it… you were so jumpy. That’s what you were drawing?”

Kurt nodded slightly.

“Honey, have I told you lately how sorry I was, and still am, for being so oblivious?”

“It’s okay. Honest. You got your act together. That was just… really painful for a little while. We weren’t together then.”

“I wish we had been.”

“Blaine, stop. Really. It’s just another anecdote in the story of us.”

“Okay. Hey did you save… you’re such a sap, I bet you did.” Blaine dug through the box, looking carefully for something he knew was very tiny. “Come on… I know it’s gotta be in here…YES! I knew it!” Blaine held up the tiniest scrap of white paper triumphantly. “Only Kurt Hummel would be sappy enough to save a fortune that had lucky numbers on it that match our birthdays.”

“It wasn’t just that, though,” Kurt argued. “Do you remember what the fortune on the front of it said?”

“I do. It said ‘The most important thing in your life is right in front of your nose.’”

“Still think fortunes are bullshit, as you say?”

“Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in awhile.”

“Speaking of nuts…”

“You want to play with mine???” Blaine asked eagerly.

Kurt picked up a pillow and smacked him in the face with it. Laughing, he said, “You are such a pig, Blaine Anderson! But… if you can make your request a little less crassly, don’t forget that I’m all yours from now on, starting tonight. If I deem you worthy of my attentions, we can see about those nuts later…”

Blaine held his hand up in the air. “I solemnly swear to be a very good boy until tonight. And then I solemnly swear to be a very, bad boy.”

“I don’t believe that first part for a moment, but I’m very much looking forward to the second part.”

“Good. Now let’s get this stuff packed up and moved so we can unpack and get onto the fun stuff!”

**xXxXxXx**

After trying to fit just a few boxes and bags worth of Kurt’s things into Blaine’s place, Kurt began to realize exactly how small Blaine’s place really was. It wasn’t as if Blaine had a lot of stuff, either – he had been living there for close to a year, but because of his need to be frugal, he still hadn’t acquired much. Most of his things had been gifts. It’s just that Kurt seemed to feel that _all_ of his things were necessary.

Kurt began to get frustrated, but in that particular situation, Blaine didn’t have a lot of sympathy for him.

“Kurt, when you have pretty much nothing and have to rebuild from scratch, the true meaning of ‘necessities’ really hits you. I know you’re freaking out, but we need to look at this intelligently. Can I see what you have left to try to put away? Maybe I can help you think objectively and decide what to bring back to your dad’s to store.”

Together they sat down with Kurt’s boxes and dug through them. They immediately placed Kurt’s computer, DVD collection, and iPod, as well as his vast array of skin care products and toiletries, in the keep section. Kurt’s books were pared down to books they would both enjoy; they would likely be working and hanging out with friends most of the summer, so his entire stash of reading material was unnecessary. The clothing took a little more effort, but Blaine finally convinced Kurt that it wasn’t a crime to live in knock-about clothing for most of the summer. He of course kept a few carefully coordinated outfits for date nights or special occasions, but otherwise, the fanciest garments, as well as the majority of Kurt’s shoes and boots, went back in the boxes to return to the Hummels’.

Finally, Kurt was forced to decide the fate of the memory box.

“Honey, I know this is not what you are going to want to hear, but I think you should take this back to your dad’s.”

Kurt began to protest, but Blaine cut him off. “C’mon, Kurt, hear me out on this one. The things in this box cannot easily be replaced.  There is not a lot of space here, which means there are very few safe places we could possibly put it. And you don’t look at it on a regular basis. In your dad’s home, it can have a place of honor until we have our own safe place to store it. If there is something you truly need to see in that box, you know you will always be welcome to go back and take a look at whatever it is. But until then, I don’t think you should keep it here. Every single other thing you’ve brought here can be replaced or upgraded or whatever, but this box? You need to protect it.”

Kurt sighed. “You’re right. Why do you have to make so damn much sense?”

“Because as much as I tease, I am _always_ looking out for you, Kurt, just as I know you’re always looking out for me. Because I know if the situation was reversed, you’d be telling me the same thing.”

“I would be.” Kurt clapped his hands together and stood up. “Well, what do you think? Do you want to haul this stuff back to my folks’ house and mooch some dinner, or do you want to just stay here and scrounge something from your fridge for dinner?”

“Stay in. absolutely. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I have a beautiful man in my home that doesn’t have to go back home. Ever. Because his home is here now. So who wouldn’t want to stay here?”

Kurt, who was sitting on the floor, nodded and reached his arms up in the air, a silent request for Blaine to help him up. Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hands in his own and pulled him up and close to him in a tight hug. Kurt pressed his lips to Blaine and caught him in a smoldering kiss. Without breaking the kiss, Blaine spun Kurt around and tossed him down on the bed. He began crawling up Kurt’s body, and just as he was about to lie on top of him… *grumblerumblegrumble*

Kurt giggled in embarrassment. Blaine groaned in frustration. “I’m SORRY,” Kurt said. “I’m just so _hungry._ ”

“I’m hungry, too – I was trying to remedy that,” Blaine pouted.

Kurt gently pushed Blaine away from him and scrambled off the bed. “Come on. Let’s go sate our hunger, and then we’re gonna come back here and _sate our hunger._ ”

**xXxXxXx**

“Jeez, Blaine, you live like such a bachelor,” Kurt said, frowning at the selection, or lack thereof, of food in Blaine’s kitchen.

“Maybe that’s because I _was_ living like a bachelor?” Blaine shrugged. He went to the cupboard to pull out a box of pasta. “I’m sorry. Ramen, mac and cheese, pasta, PBJs, and generic frozen pizzas are cheap, and I’m a guy with a big appetite. I had to eat.”

“Well, I can’t eat like this. Tomorrow, we’re going to go to the store, and I’m going to teach you how to shop affordably without having to eat all the cheapest processed crap in the supermarket.”

“That’s fine with me. I wouldn’t mind eating some real food. Just please don’t tell me you’re going to take away my Pop-Tarts.”

“I won’t take away the Pop-Tarts as long as you let me upgrade you to the name brand Pop-Tarts so I can have some too. Generic is as good as name brand in most cases, but there are a few things where the generic truly sucks, and Pop-Tarts are one of them!”

“Oooh, such a sacrifice. I don’t know how my life will EVER be the same again!” Blaine said dramatically, an exaggerated pained look on his face.

“You’re such a ham, Blaine.”

“Mmmmmmm haaammmmm,” Blaine said in his best drooling Homer Simpson voice.

“Oh good lord,” Kurt mumbled. “Here, start heating this,” he commanded, shoving a jar of pasta sauce in Blaine’s hand. “If we don’t start cooking now, we are NEVER going to get around to that sating hunger business you were SO excited for.”

“I don’t know… if you keep on making me WORK in such horrible conditions, I might not have enough energy to participate.”

Kurt feigned indifference. “Really? Oh well. No big deal.” He turned back to the stove to prevent the pasta in the saucepan from sticking together.

Blaine sidled up behind him and slid his hands down the front of Kurt’s pants. “No big deal, huh? This feels like a pretty big deal to me,” he whispered in Kurt’s ear, letting his breath disturb Kurt’s hair just enough to tickle and give him goosebumps.

“Ungh,” Kurt softly groaned. “Matters are… _oh god_ … starting to become far more, um, u-urgent…”

Blaine was well on his way to creating a painful purple mark on Kurt’s neck that Kurt would admonish him for later (he could just hear the complaints now: “Blaine! It’s summer, I can’t wear scarves!” or “Blaine! You made me leave all my scarves behind! And there is only so much even MY concealer can do!”) when they were interrupted by the loud _hiss_ of a pot of starchy water boiling over. Kurt whipped around to snatch the pot off the burner long enough for the water to cool off and settle down, and then he replaced the pasta on the burner to continue cooking under a much more watchful eye this time.

“ENOUGH! You, over there,” Kurt ordered, pointing at Blaine and trying to look very stern. Blaine thought he looked far more cute than intimidating, but he knew that if he said anything, he would NOT be getting sex that night, and he did NOT want to jeopardize his chances. “I think there’s some lettuce and a few veggies in your fridge that might still be edible. Go get them, make a salad, and STAY ON YOUR SIDE OF THE KITCHEN,” Kurt instructed, more than a little frazzled.

“Yes SIR, _Mon Capitan_!” Blaine said with a salute to Kurt. He went to the fridge and waited until Kurt was looking at him before he bent over to dig in the vegetable drawer, wiggling his ass teasingly as he did so. He heard a nearly inaudible moan just before Kurt scolded, “BLAINE! GET!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” He grabbed the salad materials and a bowl and went as far away as possible, which was not very far away in such a small kitchen space, and set himself to work. By the time a decent salad was prepared, Kurt was just tossing the pasta and sauce together and serving it onto some plates. Blaine grabbed a fork and sneaked a taste off one of the plates before Kurt could object.

“Mmm, even though it’s just boxed pasta and jarred sauce, it still tastes better when you make it,” Blaine praised.

“Hey, I just pulled that off the stove! If you burn your mouth and have a hard time performing tonight, I’m going to laugh my ass off at you.”

“That ass better stay right where it is. I like where it’s currently located. And for the record, it’ll take far more than a lil’ ol’ pasta burn to keep me from using my mouth as I fully intend to do tonight.” Blaine grabbed both plates and walked them to the table. He set both servings down and then pulled out Kurt’s chair for him with a flourish.

“Why thank you, kind sir. There ARE some manners in there somewhere.”

“Well, normally I prefer to act like a caveman, but there’s just something about you that makes me want to be a better person.”

The comment was meant to be sarcastic, but Kurt sensed the deeper meaning in his words. “You are a wonderful person, Blaine. You don’t need to try so hard to be better – you are already amazing just the way you are.”

Blaine leaned over and gave Kurt a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips in thanks before sitting in his own seat. They ate in silence, unconsciously speeding through their meal. The sexual tension in the air was palpable; they were eager to get the obligatory human necessities like eating out of the way so they could get back to what they had been building up towards all day.

They finished their meals and brought their dishes back to the sink. Kurt started to fill the sink and pull on his dishwashing gloves when Blaine grabbed him firmly but gently on the wrist. “Leave them.” Kurt shivered at his tone; it was commanding with a touch of desperation, and it shot sparks through his body.

“Just let me – “

“Leave them, Kurt. _Please._ ”

Kurt gulped. He had seen Blaine in all levels of need before, but Blaine looked as though he wanted to devour Kurt, and he could tell that some of that need was deeply emotional, that it was based on far more than just lust at that moment.

“Okay,” Kurt whispered, and he allowed Blaine to lead him to his… their… bed.

 As soon as they entered the bedroom, Blaine stopped short of the bed. Kurt could feel an abrupt shift in Blaine’s mood. Kurt noted that Blaine looked almost… worried?

“K-kurt, I need you,” he said.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine’s neck and pulled him close. “I know, baby. I need you too.”

“No, Kurt, I need **_you_** tonight.”

Kurt was confused for a moment before the full extent of Blaine’s request dawned on him. “Oh!” he exclaimed softly.

“Can we, Kurt? Please? I know last time was… but I think it’ll be okay this time, and we kinda know what we’re doing now, and I… I need… Kurt, _please?_ ”

Kurt was slightly apprehensive – they had only tried him “leading the way” once before and it was awkward and a little clumsy for some reason that they had yet to determine. But Blaine wasn’t asking just for variety’s sake – he seemed to need it for a completely different reason. Kurt would need to talk to him afterward, but for now, Kurt just wanted to give his lover what he needed.

“Yes, okay, I think it’ll be okay. We’ll be fine.” He led Blaine over to the bed and lowered him carefully down onto his back. “Relax, baby. I’m going to take care of you.”

Kurt gently and carefully took Blaine’s clothes off, thoroughly kissing and worshipping every inch of every part of him as it was exposed. By the time Kurt had taken the last scraps of clothing off his body, Blaine was whimpering with the need for release.

“Kurt, your turn,” Blaine gasped out, gesturing up and down Kurt’s body and hinting that Kurt was entirely too clothed for the activities that would hopefully soon be taking place.

“Honey, don’t you want to… once before?” Kurt asked hesitantly.

“No.” Blaine was vehement. “I don’t want to come until you’re inside me. I want you to come with me, Kurt.”

“Okay.” Kurt shucked off his clothes quickly, which brought a disappointed groan from Blaine.

“You mean I don’t get a little bit of a show?” Blaine whined.

“You said you wanted to wait for me. I’m so fabulous, if I was to shake my ass for you, you wouldn’t last long enough for me to even touch you,” Kurt said, faux cockiness oozing through his words.

“Ugh, remind me to make you shake your ass for me another time, then. Because THAT is ALWAYS relevant to my interests.”

Kurt giggled. He helped Blaine shift backwards on the bed so his head was on the pillows and he was centered – Kurt had plans and he didn’t want anyone falling off the bed in the middle of them. He didn’t care WHAT those movies and TV shows depicted – when one rolls off the bed during sex, one gets the wind knocked out of them, possibly swears a blue streak when their breath has returned, and most certainly does NOT continue like nothing ever happened.

Kurt crawled slowly up Blaine’s body and straddled him, sitting on his thighs. He and Blaine shared some deep, probing kisses, exploring every millimeter of each other’s mouths. Kurt reached down to stroke Blaine; he was careful to keep Blaine right in the middle between “losing interest” and “hairpin trigger.”

Blaine pulled away from Kurt and whispered, “Now… please…” Blaine pulled his legs back, “assuming the position” and exposing himself for Kurt, but Kurt had other ideas.

“No, no sweetheart. I want to try this another way. Roll over.”

Blaine immediately scrambled up on his hands and knees.

“No, not like that. Just lay down on your stomach. I’ll take care of you. I promise.” Kurt placed a soft kiss at the base of Blaine’s neck after he was settled down on the bed. Kurt made his way down Blaine’s back, pausing every so often to kiss or gently nip his vertebrae. Kurt soon reached the dimples in Blaine’s back, right above the curves of his ass, and Kurt spent some time there, swirling his tongue around in the little indentations and making Blaine squirm.

“Please, Kurt, you need to move on – I won’t last long if you keep that up.” Kurt considered denying Blaine’s request and continue driving him crazy, but truth be told, his own desire was threatening to get the best of him.

 Kurt grabbed the familiar bottle of lube from the nightstand drawer and drizzled it over his fingers before snapping the lid shut with a satisfying click. “Spread your legs apart just a little bit, baby.” Blaine wiggled his legs apart minutely, but it was just enough for Kurt to have full access. Kurt, noticing that Blaine was ever so slightly rubbing himself against the blanket beneath him, went immediately for pay dirt – he didn’t have much time left before Blaine would succumb to the building pressure within him.

Kurt’s fingers lightly traced the space between Blaine’s buttocks and pressed ever so slightly against his hole. Blaine jumped; he was no stranger to fingering, but it wasn’t often that it was done with the purpose of opening him up enough to be made love to. He wasn’t scared by any means, but residual nerves, not unlike the kind he had for his first time, had popped up.

“Relax, Blaine. We’re not fumbling virgins anymore, and this is going to be better this time. Do you trust me?”

“With everything,” Blaine said, no hesitation evident in his voice. Kurt took that as his cue to breach the tight ring of muscles of his entrance, and he slid his finger in to the knuckle. “Is that okay?”

“God, that feels so good, Kurt.”  Kurt began to move his finger in and out until he felt Blaine relax a bit, giving him the go ahead to add another finger. Blaine whimpered as the stretch started to make itself known. Kurt thrust his fingers in a steady motion, taking the opportunity to wiggle his fingers inside just slightly. The tiny changes in movement were enough to send shocks up Blaine’s spine. “Another, Kurt!” he begged.

The sound of Blaine’s gasps and pants as Kurt used three fingers on Blaine were driving him absolutely crazy. He didn’t know how Blaine was holding back because Kurt was dangerously close to getting off just from the delicious little noises Blaine was making, and Blaine was a lot closer to the edge than he was.

Kurt debated going for the fourth finger or just putting both of them out of their misery and making love to Blaine, but the decision was made for him. Blaine reached behind him with an eager hand, searching in vain for Kurt’s erection. He hadn’t been able to grasp it as Kurt was just out of his reach, but Blaine’s intention was clear – he was ready, and it was time to get down to business.

Kurt once again reached for the bedside drawer to grab one of the stash of condoms that was kept there. As soon as he had one in his hand, Blaine snatched it from him and tossed it back into the drawer. “No,” he said firmly. “Just you… just us. I need to feel.”

Kurt leaned down and kissed him on the cheek in response. He laid down on top of Blaine, careful to cover as much of Blaine as he could with his own body. Grabbing hold of himself with one hand while balancing himself on his other arm so as not to crush Blaine underneath him, he positioned himself at Blaine’s entrance. Blaine felt him there and sensed that Kurt was waiting for a sign of any sort for him to continue. Blaine whispered, “I’m ready,” and Kurt pushed steadily forward in response. Blaine moaned loudly as Kurt breached his entrance. Laying in this position made him so much tighter – the going was slow and Kurt had to work for every little bit of progress he made. Finally, after what seemed like forever but was only just a minute or two, Kurt was all the way in.

Kurt gathered Blaine up in a tight embrace, both to keep Blaine close and to give himself a quick break. The sensations were incredible and brought Kurt to the “danger zone” far sooner than he would’ve liked; he needed the time to bring him back from the edge and to give Blaine a chance to adjust.

Kurt tilted his head to be able to look at Blaine and noticed fresh tear tracks on his cheeks. He panicked a bit. “Blaine, honey? Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Oh god, please say I didn’t hurt you!”

“Kurt, I’m okay. I just… you’re giving me everything I need and I feel… so much. Please keep going.”

Kurt wasn’t sure he was quite calm enough to continue without embarrassing himself by coming too soon, but Blaine had told him what he needed. Blaine wasn’t always very good at that – at times he could bottle up his emotions so securely that it frustrated Kurt to no end – so who was Kurt to deny him? He pulled back slowly; the drag they both felt was absolutely delicious.

Their position didn’t leave a whole lot of room for hard, fast, or rough, but that was okay; Blaine needed love and reassurance more than anything at that point, and Kurt was able to provide that just the way they were.  Kurt thrust slowly and shallowly but strongly and steadily, and he could tell by the whimpers and mewling sounds Blaine was making that it was enough and that he was feeling as good as Kurt hoped he was.

Blaine had subconsciously begun to rut himself into the blankets beneath him to get some much needed friction against his aching cock. The extra bit of movement on Blaine’s part made things a bit easier for Kurt to get them into a bit of a rhythm – as Blaine ground against the bedding, Kurt was pulling back, and as Kurt was pressing forward, Blaine was pushing backward, which allowed Kurt to get that extra bit deeper. It also changed the angle just a tiny bit to a new angle which caused him to rub against Blaine’s prostate with every single stroke. Blaine squeaked at the first contact Kurt made with his prostate and he began to moan loudly as Kurt continued his assault upon it.

“Kurt… I’m s-so c-c-close,” he panted. “Please tell me you are t-too.”

“Yea – “ his voice broke. He swallowed a couple of times in an attempt to lubricate his dry mouth and throat, and he tried again. “Yeah, Blaine, just waiting for you. Let go, baby,” he urged.

“Oh FUCK, Kurt!” Blaine cried as his body slammed his hips one more time into the bed. His entire body shuddered as he spilled onto the bedding beneath him. Kurt followed right behind when the force of Blaine’s orgasm caused him to tighten around Kurt; he could no longer hold back and shot his release deep inside Blaine.

Kurt’s arms were weak from exertion and he collapsed lightly on top of Blaine. Without pulling out or adjusting their position, Kurt laid on top of Blaine in a full body hug. It was somewhat difficult for Blaine to get a full, deep breath of air this way, but he could care less; he had never felt so safe as he had right then with Kurt’s body covering all of Blaine he could and Kurt still inside him.

After a few moments, Kurt softened enough to slip out of Blaine, and Blaine shivered as he felt a trickle of Kurt’s come leaking out of his hole. Kurt slid off Blaine and gripped Blaine’s ass in both hands, spreading his cheeks and inspecting his entrance.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever come that much before in my life,” he said, slightly awed. He took his pointer finger and traced his finger up Blaine’s crack, collecting his come on his fingertip. He gently pushed the fingerful back inside, which earned him a long, low moan from Blaine.  

Kurt teased Blaine’s hole with his fingers, but it was mere moments before he begged Kurt to stop. “Kurt…Kurt – so goooood but t-too m-much. Please sstop.” Kurt immediately pulled back and crawled on hands and knees to the top of the bed to collapse next to Blaine. Just barely allowing Kurt to get comfy, Blaine then snuggled into Kurt’s arms.

“Everything okay, Blaine?”

“Everything is amazing,” he said, his words slightly slurring as he struggled not to fall asleep.

“It’s okay, Blaine. Sleep.”

Blaine fell asleep with a contented smile on his face. Kurt waiting until Blaine was really asleep before extracting himself from Blaine’s grip and going to clean up. In the bathroom he jumped into the shower to clean himself more thoroughly, and then he wet a washcloth and went to take care of Blaine. Blaine stirred only slightly as Kurt touched the washcloth to the stickiest parts of him. Kurt was able to carefully jiggle the soiled top sheet out from under Blaine and tossed it in the laundry basket to deal with later. The fitted sheet was clean enough to sleep on, though Kurt knew he’d be doing a full bedding switch-out the next morning. Kurt carefully crawled his way to a free space on the bed; Blaine’s starfish impression was in full effect and he was sprawled over most of the available real estate. Kurt shoved one of Blaine’s arms back closer to his side to make a little more room for himself, which caused Blaine to subconsciously realize Kurt was there. In his sleep he shifted so that half his body draped over Kurt. Kurt had to laugh – he wasn’t going to be escaping his clingy little space heater any time soon. But that was okay. As much as he was overly warm in that moment, the pressure of Blaine’s body on his own was comforting. It felt safe, like home. He snuggled himself down into his pillow, arms embracing Blaine, and succumbed to his exhaustion.

 


	62. Chapter 62

Kurt woke up early the next morning to the feeling that he was being watched. As he pried his eyes open, he jumped a bit – Blaine was much closer than he thought. Their noses were only mere inches away; it was slightly unnerving.

“God, you scared me, Blaine,” Kurt said, willing his heartbeat to slow down a bit.

“I’m sorry, Kurt. I couldn’t help myself. You smile in your sleep, and it’s so beautiful. I like to see it as close up as I can.”

“I do?

“Yeah, it’s adorable. Your smile grows or shrinks depending on how close I am to you. You’re not awake, but we’re so connected that you just know. That’s why I got so close. That huge, genuine grin is addicting.”

Kurt hid his face from Blaine’s view. “God, even in my sleep I’m cheesy.”

“Never. It just reinforces what I already know. That you’re massively in love with me.”

“I am.”

“And a huge sap to boot,” Blaine said facetiously.

“Takes one to know one, brat,” Kurt shot back.

Blaine staged a full-on tickle war that quickly morphed into more amorous activities. Blaine was just getting serious when Kurt burst out into giggles.

“What?” Blaine asked, his voice tinged with frustration.

“I’m sorry, it’s just… our morning breath is SO gross, and I don’t think either of us brushed our teeth last night after the garlic in the pasta sauce.”

Blaine threw his head against the pillow and sighed, willing himself to calm down now that the mood had been lost. “Kuuuuuurrrrrrt, you cockblocker,” he groaned.

“I’m sorry, baby. Come on. Let’s brush our teeth, get dressed, and make out while we wait for our breakfast to cook.”

“ _Fine._ You suck, by the way.”

“You would know!” Kurt said playfully as he bounced into the bathroom to get ready for his day.

**xXxXxXx**

Before they took Kurt’s belongings back to his family’s house, Kurt insisted on cleaning their whole place.

“It’s not that you don’t clean, Blaine. Part of why I agreed to move in with you is because you are NOT the slob Finn is. But I do prefer things are more sparkling than this. If you help me get it there now, I will take the responsibility of keeping it there. Is that fair?”

Blaine thought that sounded okay. He got dressed in work clothes and waited for instructions. Kurt handed him a pair of rubber gloves and a scrub brush and pointed him toward the fridge. “Empty it out, pay attention to expiration dates, scrub it out real good, and then put the stuff that’s still good back in, okay?”

Blaine did not think that sounded like a fun time and grumbled but nodded and made his way to the fridge. Kurt stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and kissed him in the crook of his neck. “Hey, no complaints. At least you’re not scrubbing the toilet and shower like I am!” Kurt took his own cleaning supplies to the bathroom.

About an hour later, they were both back in the kitchen area. Blaine was tackling the sink and backsplash area while Kurt wiped down the microwave.

“So can I ask you something, Blaine?”

“Sure.”

“What… what happened last night?”

“We had some fucking awesome sex,” Blaine said facetiously.

“Well duh, but seriously, Blaine. You seemed so needy. Like, if I hadn’t agreed, you would’ve completely fallen apart.”

Blaine paused his cleaning to gather his thoughts. “You know how sometimes you just need someone to pinch you to assure you you’re not dreaming? I kinda felt like that. I’ve wanted you to be with me full time for awhile now, and then you finally got here, and it seemed too good to be true. So instead of pinching me, I opted for a much more satisfying burn to assure myself that I was awake and these wonderful things truly were happening to me.”

“Awww, honey,” Kurt said, setting down his sponge. “Not that I’m complaining, or that I didn’t enjoy our night, but if you ever need reassurance, you don’t have to resort to such elaborate measures to get it. Just ask me.” Blaine turned and they held each other in a loving embrace for a few moments.

Kurt pulled him even closer and whispered in Blaine’s ear.

“ _But… any time you want to be fucked into the mattress, I’m not going to tell you no.”_

**xXxXxXx**

The Klaine Cohabitation Experiment, as their friends liked to call it, was going well. They were able to fit all of Kurt’s necessities in their home, and the place only groaned at the seams a little bit. It was cozy, but then, they were all about cozy. Blaine continued to work at the shop, and Burt recruited Kurt to help out as well. He had them working the same shifts and Finn working opposite so they had good coverage, which encouraged Burt to take some time off to do things with Carole. Blaine and Kurt were both glad they lived together and didn’t need to sneak around; after seeing each other bend over cars all day, there was much tension that needed to be released and not having to think about who might see or, worse yet, cockblock them, was one of the biggest perks of Kurt moving in.

Kurt and Blaine were curled up together on their couch reading a book together and enjoying the air conditioning. That particular day in Lima was sticky hot, and neither of them had any particular desire to get sweaty and gross outside of the bedroom. Their carefully selected “reading playlist” was playing on the iPod in the background and had just flipped over to part of the Mr. Holland’s Opus score when they heard a knock on the door.

“You get it,” Blaine ordered.

“Blaine, you’re sitting on me. You’d have to get up either way. You go get it.”

“Well, I guess neither one of us is getting it, ‘cause I’m not moving. I am far too comfortable where I am.”

The person on the other side of their door knocked again, harder this time, and for longer.

“Blaaaaaaaine, get UP.”

“No.”

“ **Open this door white boy! I have no problem using Rachel as a battering ram if worst comes to worst!”**

**“ _HEY!”_**

Kurt groaned. “I don’t know whether I should get up and make them go away, or continue to ignore them in hopes they’ll go away.”

“I think we should have sex really, really loudly so they can hear it and run away screaming.”

“There’s a thought,” Kurt considered. “But Rachel’s probably used to the sounds of two men together; inevitably most kids end up hearing their parents at some point in time. And hell, Mercedes would probably listen in.”

“We could have sex anyway. I’m not above a little exhibitionism,” Blaine purred, turning over in Kurt’s lap and attempting to drag his fingers down his chest. Kurt stopped his hands from advancing just as the pounding on the door got stronger yet.

**“I MEAN IT, HUMMEL! I’M JUST GONNA STAY HERE MAKING A SCENE UNTIL YOUR NEIGHBORS CALL THE COPS! SO GET YOUR IMPECCABLY DRESSED SKINNY ASS OUT HERE!”**

Kurt sighed and shoved Blaine out of his lap. Blaine stumbled to the floor and turned to glare at Kurt. “What the hell, Kurt?”

Kurt shrugged his shoulders. “She had me at impeccably dressed,” he said, and went to answer the door.

“ _We have GOT to work on that boy’s vanity,”_ Blaine mumbled under his breath.

Kurt went to the door and opened it, narrowly avoiding the fist that very nearly collided with his face when it went to knock again. “You bellowed?” he asked.

“It is about damn time, boy! We haven’t seen you for AGES and you ignore me? It’s been nearly a month since graduation. We MISS you, Kurt!”

Blaine joined Kurt at the door, his hand extended for a handshake. “Hello, ladies. We must not have met. My name is Chopped Liver.”

“Oh qwitcherbitchin’ Blaine, we miss you too. You guys have been holed up either here or at the garage for so long that Rachel and I have staged an intervention. We all have, actually. You boys are coming with us. Puck has organized a pool party, and you are joining us. We will not take no for an answer.”

“Should I be afraid?” Kurt wondered.

“Very. Now get your shit and let’s go.”

Blaine and Kurt sighed in unison. There went their lovely afternoon together. “Would you ladies like to come in and sit down?”

“Why thank you, but no. I’m going to sit out in the car and lean on the horn every thirty seconds or so just to make sure you boys don’t take too long. Berry, you can stay here and play chaperone.”

“Oh please,” Rachel scoffed. “It’s not as if they haven’t tried to get it on in front of me before.

“No, but you’re usually not awake when they do. Believe me, I’ve heard them when they think I’m asleep.”

Kurt blushed and dragged Blaine into the bedroom. “NO WANKY, BOYS!” Mercedes yelled.

“I’m sorry,” Kurt apologized hurriedly.

Blaine was confused. “For what? What are you apologizing for?”

“They were my friends first. I exposed you to them. My friends are hazardous to anyone’s health.”

“I love them. And you do too.”

“Don’t spread that around. I will deny everything.”

Blaine sneak-attacked Kurt and rumpled his hair. Then he ran out of the bedroom, pool gear in hand, racing past Rachel to avoid the Wrath of Kurt.

Kurt ran out of the bedroom in pursuit of him, but stopped in the doorway as he realized Blaine was long gone. “That asshole,” Kurt mumbled. Rachel was on the couch, equal parts amused and trying not to be amused but failing.

“Go ahead. Laugh all you want. I’m sure I’ll find a way to get back at him sooner or later. I’ll just grab my stuff and we can get out of here.”

Rachel nodded silently; even though she had been given permission to laugh, she wasn’t going to. She had known Kurt Hummel for too long not to know that laughing in such a situation was dangerous.

Kurt stuffed his swimsuit and sunscreen in his messenger back and escorted Rachel outside. He preceded her to Mercedes’ car and commandeered her “shotgun” seat. He settled into his spot and said “I know where you live, Anderson. NOBODY touches the hair.”

Blaine said nothing, and looked straight forward in his seat as Mercedes turned on the car and headed toward the pool party. Moments later, Kurt felt his cell phone buzzing in his pocket.

Kurt frowned and pulled his phone out of his pocket to view the message.

**B: You don’t seem to have a problem with me pulling your hair when you’re sucking me down your throat.**

Kurt’s breath hitched and Mercedes looked at him curiously. Blaine stifled a soft giggle in the back seat.

 _K: You better watch your ass_.

**B: Why should I when you do such a good job?**

_K: Any watching of your ass I do will be for business, not for pleasure. Any watching YOU do will be for survival. I repeat, watch your ass._

Blaine giggled again, clearly not worried that Kurt’s bite could possibly be worse than his bark.

 _Be afraid, Anderson,_ he thought, staring straight ahead and ignoring any further texts or attempts by Blaine to catch Kurt’s attention. _Be VERY afraid._

**xXxXxXx**

“What is this place?” Rachel asked incredulously as they let themselves through the gate. They had no idea whose home they were at; none of the New Directions kids had families who could afford a home this large.

“This, Berry, is one of my clients’ houses,” Puck said as he sauntered up to greet them.

“Are you sure we should be here?” Blaine worried.

“Of course we shouldn’t be here. But who’s going to know? The former Mrs. Smith is on a cougar cruise in the Mediterranean for two weeks. We can party hardy, have two weeks to clean it up to sparkling perfection, and nobody’s the wiser.”

Kurt, Blaine, Rachel, and Mercedes all had doubts, but before they could do anything about it, Sam and Finn had come over to drag Mercedes and Rachel toward the party, which was just starting to pick up with the help of Santana and Brittany. There was a wide cement apron around the pool, and they made it work as a dance floor. Kurt made a beeline for a lounge chair and tossed his bag on top of it to claim it.

“I see there’s a mini beach house over there, Blaine. I’m just going to change and I will be right back.”

Blaine had already changed into his swim trunks at home – he wore them as shorts and just tossed on a t-shirt for the ride over. He stripped off his shirt and began to slather all the parts of him that he could reach with sunscreen. He didn’t really burn, what with his slightly darker complexion, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. It just was not worth the lecture he’d receive from Kurt.

The door to the beach house opened and Blaine wolf whistled. His gorgeous boyfriend stepped out wearing his trunks and a soft knit top with ¾ length sleeves. He had a large floppy hat on his head and overly large sunglasses on his face. He looked like the stereotypical beach bum with a bit more flair.

“Seriously, Kurt?”

“You’ve seen my skin, Blaine.”

“Yes, I surely have,” Blaine said dreamily.

“Shut up, you pervert. Anyway, you know I burn very easily. I refuse to be all leathery and wrinkly… well, at ANY age, but most especially not due to sun damage before age thirty.”

“Kurt, come on. It’s a pool party. The first word, pool, is an integral part of such party. You must take advantage of it at least once. And if you don’t, the word party just doesn’t apply, unless it’s being placed in front of the word pooper, which you are most assuredly being if you don’t join it.”

“I am NOT a party pooper. The term alone is so vulgar…”

“Kurt, please. Put on some of your three thousand SPF sunscreen and hop in the pool for a few minutes. I promise I won’t bother you about it again after that.”

Kurt considered it. “You PROMISE you’ll stop bugging me?”

“About this? Yes.”

Kurt knew Blaine left a loophole in there for himself, but with any luck, he wouldn’t need to worry about it. “Fine. Would you dig the sunscreen out of my bag, please?”

“Need some help putting it on?” he asked, clearly silently begging Kurt to say yes.

“You should only be so lucky.” Kurt set the bottle of sunscreen down on the lounge next to him and pulled off his shirt.

“FUCKING HELL, HUMMEL! Warn a girl so she can put on her sunglasses before you go all Whitey vonWhiterson with your pasty-ass self!” snarked Santana.

Kurt gritted his teeth several times before he stopped himself, remembering how horrible teeth-grinding was for one’s dental health. He decided to completely ignore Miss Satan and apply his sunblock as planned. He purposely avoided letting Blaine help him; he applied the lotion slowly and smoothly, gracefully extending his limbs right in front of Blaine’s face as he rubbed them down. Kurt, with his nearly infinite flexibility, managed to reach all but a few tiny places in the middle of his back. Blaine tried to reach for the bottle of sunscreen, figuring that Kurt’s next step would be to ask him for his assistance, but instead he turned to face Mercedes, who had, by then, come to claim the lounge chair on the other side of Kurt.

He handing her the bottle. “’Cedes, darling, would you be a dear and finish me up in the back, right between my shoulder blades?

Mercedes shot Blaine a patronizing smirk as she took the lotion and said, “Gladly.”

Blaine was NOT amused.

Mercedes applied the sunblock generously to the places Kurt missed and capped the bottle. “There you are, Diva. All done.”

“Thank you, Mercedes. Blaine, shall we?”

Blaine was a little chuffed that Kurt completely ignored Blaine when it came to the sunscreen, but he figured that that was his punishment for daring to touch “the hair.” Blaine set his irritation aside and reached for the hand Kurt offered. Kurt led him to the shallow end of the pool and stepped in. He sat down on the last step before the pool floor, which was deep enough so the water came up to approximately mid chest on him.

“Why are you stopping here, Kurt? The water’s amazing. Come on! The guys are setting up a water volleyball net. I wanna play!”

“No, I’m staying right here. The deal was for me to get into the pool. It was not to venture into deep water and play water volleyball.”

Blaine opened his mouth to protest but snapped it shut again when he realized that Kurt had a point. He rolled his eyes and was trying to decide between sitting down with his boring boyfriend or go off in search of something more exciting to do. The decision was made for him when Mike tossed the volleyball at him and urged him to join the game they were just starting. Blaine held up the ball in front of Kurt in silent question, and Kurt answered by waving him off.

Kurt languished in the cool water of the shallow end until he got hit with a stray ball (or a stray player in pursuit of said stray ball) one too many times. He hoisted his body out of the water and stalked off in search of his towel and shade.

The party continued on throughout the day. The noise level stayed tame; after all, they were not supposed to be there, so they did not want to draw attention to themselves and cause anyone to call the police. Puck had obtained bottled beer and wine coolers, thanks to his fake ID, and the empties littered the pool deck along with various food wrappers. No one had thought to bring any garbage bags, so the cleanup would have to wait until another time.

The pool was empty at that particular moment. Those who were interested in being in the water had been in there pretty much all day, and they were giving their pruny skin a chance to dewrinkle. It was coming upon twilight time, and Kurt was getting anxious to get home. There was no bathroom access, and he had to pee. Not to mention there was no telling what the chlorine that he hadn’t had an opportunity to rinse off was doing to his skin.

“Blaine? Are you about ready to head home?”

“Sure Kurt, I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes, okay?”

Blaine stood at the edge of the pool, staring at nothing in particular. Kurt spotted this as an opportunity for payback for messing with his hair. Kurt gathered his and Blaine’s stuff together in his bag, and then, on tiptoe, he snuck up behind Blaine. One particular hard shoulder check and Blaine was in the pool with a yell.

“HEY! WHO’S OUT THERE?” A voice was heard bellowing through the windows of the pool owner’s house.

“Shit! They’re home! Everybody RUN!” Puck hollered.

Blaine was scrambling to get out of the pool, and Kurt hurriedly grabbed his hand and yanked him out of the water. The extra time it took to rescue Blaine was their downfall; by that time, the homeowner had had time to get outside and view the scene of the crime. Kurt and Blaine were nearly through the gate when a hand reached through the opening and pulled Blaine back inside the gate. The man who had stopped Blaine hadn’t seen that Kurt was there. Blaine shook his head subtly and attempted to send a message with his eyes. A message that said “Save yourself.”

Kurt stayed outside the fence, out of the way, so he could hear what was going on. It was a one-man interrogation; all the others had managed to escape detection. Blaine answered all of the man’s questions truthfully. He didn’t really want to narc on Puck, but he didn’t have any better ideas, and he sure wasn’t going to take the fall for such a stupid idea.

Kurt heard some mumbles, then some footsteps, and then a door opening and closing, and that was when he began to worry. He couldn’t keep an ear on them then, and in the movies, nothing good EVER happened when the main character went into the house.

Kurt paced back and forth in the shadows of the fence for what seemed like hours until he finally heard a voice whispering his name.

“Kurt!”

“Blaine, wha – “

“SSHHHH! They don’t know you were with me, do you want them to find out?? Quiet! Let’s GO.”

They walked briskly out of the yard and down the street. They got all the way down to the end of the block before they remembered that they had come in Mercedes’ car, and it was nowhere to be seen.

“Great. I got in trouble for something that wasn’t my idea, and then I get kicked in the balls while I’m down by being abandoned. Some friends,” he huffed.

Kurt was livid when he noticed the absence of the car. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the messages. Nothing. He pulled up Mercedes’ phone number and made the call. The moment the call connected, he said in a low, very angry voice, “You had better have one hell of a reason for fucking LEAVING us here, ‘Cedes. It’s bad enough that Blaine was caught, but now we don’t even have a ride.”

“Kurt, I’m sorry. We forgot you weren’t with us – it was just a kneejerk reaction to get in the car and step on it. Fight or flight, right?” Mercedes said, attempting to add a bit of levity into the conversation, but it wasn’t the place, and Kurt was having none of it.

“Just come back to the same place you parked the car when we got here and pick us up.”

“But I’m already home and in be – “

“Seriously, Mercedes? What kind of friend ARE you? You OWE us.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Kurt hung up without another word. He was seething, and Blaine was pretty sure Kurt was even madder than he was at that point. “Of all the low down, rotten…”

“It’s okay, Kurt. We’ll get us home in a few minutes and then we can work on trying to forget this night ever existed.”

“God, I hope so. This was not one of our better evenings. Honey, what happened after you got caught? Here I am being all pissed off, and I haven’t even asked if you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Angry, embarrassed, sad, guilty… but I’m okay.”

“Tell me?”

“Basically he just made me tell him who I was, why I was there, who else was in on it, and things like that. I did NOT rat anyone out other than Puck. We should’ve left when we figured out that it was an unsuspecting client’s house, but he shouldn’t have invited us over in the first place. I considered you all innocent bystanders and didn’t say anything about you to him.

“When he took me in the house, he made me get Puck on the phone so he could talk to him. It was the caller ID on their phone that made Puck aware of the massive error he had made, aside from the doozy of an error in judgment. It turns out that instead of bringing us to the vacationing cougar Mrs. Smith’s house, he brought us to the happily married Mr. and Mrs. SCHMIDT’s house instead. They were quite unhappy to find trespassers in their pool after spending the day at the hospital visiting Mr. Schmidt’s ailing mother.”

“Oh God, I’m so sorry this happened to you, baby. So, what did Mr. Schmidt do?”

“Well, he negotiated a year’s worth of free bi-weekly pool cleanings from Puck, and both Puck and I are expected to show up tomorrow morning to clean up all of our shit.”

“Me too.”

“You too what?”

“I’m coming with you. I was there, too, I’m helping.”

“No, Kurt, he doesn’t know you were there. You can get away with this.”

“Blaine, no. It’s not fair to you. I’m coming too. It’ll get cleaned up that much faster and you can forget this ever happened that much sooner. No buts, okay?”

Soon Mercedes pulled up her car behind them. “Get on in, boys.”

“Mercedes, so nice of you to have joined us,” Kurt said sarcastically. “I trust you have had a lovely evening after you ran and DIDN’T get into trouble for trespassing?”

“You didn’t get into trouble too badly, did you? Like, were there cops or anything?” she asked.

“WHY is it that people think that if they weren’t caught, they aren’t guilty? No, Blaine didn’t get turned in or anything, but he’s stuck cleaning up over a dozen people’s messes tomorrow. How is THAT fair?”

“It wasn’t that bad. It won’t take him too long.”

“Seriously, ‘Cedes?”

“Just drop it, Kurt. Obviously she’s not getting your point.”

Instead of riding shotgun as he had on the way to the party, Kurt crawled in the back with Blaine. His man had had a rough day and he needed to be held.

After they had been dropped off, Kurt whispered, “Blaine?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really sorry I shoved you in the pool. Your yelling was what made them hear you, and if you hadn’t had to get out of the pool, you might have had enough time to get away.”

“Am I sufficiently paid back for messing up your hair?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“And I don’t have to worry that you know where I live?”

Kurt chuckled. “No, of course not.”

“And I don’t have to wreck myself by attempting to keep my backside within my sight at all times?”

Kurt broke out into laughter. “No, no, no. You’re fine, baby. I apologize for my over dramatics as well as my mischievousness.”

“You’re forgiven.”


	63. Chapter 63

Kurt and Blaine showed up at the Schmidt residence bright and early the following morning for cleanup duty. Puck staggered in about ten minutes after they had arrived. Puck appeared to have continued the party at home and seemed a little hungover, but that was none of their concern that day. Armed with plastic bags for trash and recyclables, Kurt and Blaine set to work.

A few minutes into their chore, a brunette head peeked through the fence. “Kurt? Blaine? Mercedes told me you’d be here today. I came to help.”

Kurt smiled. “Hi Rachel. Thank you. We can use the help.”

A few minutes later, Finn’s face popped up over the fence. “Hey guys. I see Rach already got here. She told me what she was up to, and I decided I should be here too.”

Kurt frowned, but in a rare act of perceptiveness from Finn, he knew exactly what Kurt was worried about. “It’s okay. I didn’t tell Burt what happened or where I was going. I just said I was going to hang with Rachel. Which I am doing. So there are no lies here today.”

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Thank you, Finn. I know I don’t really answer to Dad much anymore since I’m no longer under his roof, but that doesn’t mean that I want him to find out. Sometimes his look of disapproval is more than I can handle.”

“I know what you mean, dude.”

The five of them worked steadily, making sure everything was even more pristine than they had left it. They were nearly finished when Mercedes sheepishly made her way through the fence and into the pool area.

“Hi… I was on my way to church and I figured I better stop and see what I could do to help.” She took a deep breath. “Guys, I’m sorry for my attitude last night. I was wrong, and there’s no way I should’ve left without you OR insinuated that I shouldn’t have to help because I wasn’t caught.”

“You’re here, that’s what matters. There’s not much left to do – you came while we were just finishing up, but if you could take the bags of trash and recyclables and dispose of them, it would help greatly and be very much appreciated.”

Mercedes nodded. “I can do that.”

They all made one last sweep of the pool deck, and upon determining that their work was as good as it was going to get, they collected the bags and brought them to Mercedes’ car.

“Thanks for coming to help us clean up, guys.”

“There should have been more of us,” Finn replied. “Everyone who was here yesterday should’ve been here today.”

“What’s done is done. I’m glad you were all here, though.” Kurt hugged his best friends and his brother. “I’ll see you guys soon, okay? Blaine and I are heading home.”

They made the drive in silence, and the silence remained as Kurt parked the Navigator and they walked inside their home.

“Never a dull moment with the New Directions,” Kurt offered. His comment was met with silence. “Blaine, honey?” he tried again. “Is everything okay?”

“Do you ever feel like we’re outgrowing our friends? Like we’ve matured and they haven’t?”

“Constantly. But then, I’ve always been kind of an old soul.”

“It’s just that…” Blaine hesitated. “I’m just getting kind of tired of every get together ending in some sort of immature debacle. I know we all like to joke and have fun, but just once I’d like to hang out and then end the evening with everyone heading home uneventfully. Every time we’re usually either running, or explaining how our feelings were hurt, or sneaking out after being ignored, or whatever. Are we entirely incapable of having fun without consequence?”

“Kind of appears that way, doesn’t it? But you have me, remember. There’s a perk of me being an old man in an 18-year-old’s body. You get the wisdom and maturity with the energy, stamina, and impeccable fashion sense of the young, all in one package.”

“Thank God for fashion sense. If you’re really that old, I don’t think I could handle you in high-waisted pants pulled up all the way to your nipples.”

Kurt gasped in mock horror. “Never!”

“Good, ‘cause you know I always want easy access to your nipples,” Blaine said, sneaking his hands up the front of Kurt’s shirt.

“Mmmm you have the best ideas, Blaine,” Kurt purred as he stood up and pulled Blaine to their bedroom.

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt and Blaine’s lives together went fairly swimmingly, for the most part. As it happens at some time or another with pretty much everyone, there were things about living together that one or the other of them found irritating.

_“Blaine, would you please not leave your shoes in the middle of the rug?”_

**“Good grief, Kurt, how many pots do you actually NEED to cook one meal? I’m the one who has to clean up; it’d be nice to not have to wash every piece of cookware we own.”**

_“Honey, I’m trying to sleep. Could you please put away the guitar at a normal hour for once?”_

**“Kurt, I don’t think I can put up with yet another episode of Fashion Star right now.”**

_“Blaine, I bought that shoe rack to use – it’s tasteful, but also functional.”_

**“Holy _fuck_ Kurt, your feet are cold. MUST you put them on me when you come to bed?”**

_“You KNOW it’s your turn to do laundry today. It disgusts me to watch you put yesterday’s dirty underwear back on.”_

**“Could you please NOT practice the highest notes in your range at five in the morning, Kurt? Your voice is magical, naturally, but can you do it when the rest of us mere mortals are actually awake?”**

_“Blaine, your shoes! PLEASE!”_

Kurt tried to really, truly listen to Blaine. He wasn’t happy about it, but he cut out the early morning singing; his daily 5am shower was the best place to work on his range since the moisture really helped his voice, but he could see how the early hour could be a problem. He made sure to do a little more cleaning as he worked his magic in the kitchen so there was less mess for Blaine to clean up afterward, even though the meal prep was already a lot more work than the cleanup was. And on days where they did not make love before bedtime, Kurt came to bed with cozy socks on his feet. He even made sure to choose the fluffiest ones he could find, just so he could continue to put his feet near Blaine without the unpleasantness of chilly extremities against warm flesh.

Kurt wasn’t sensing too much reciprocation from Blaine as far as attempting to tone down his bad habits however. In fact, in some cases, Kurt felt like things were getting worse.

**xXxXxXx**

Kurt’s keys jingled in his hand as he tried to juggle the bags of groceries in his arms. He didn’t really feel like making two trips, so he gathered up all the plastic bags in one hand while balancing one paper bag in his right arm and another in his left. He managed to shove the door of the Navigator shut with a hard hip bump, and he staggered to the door under the weight of the bags. He finagled his keys around to the doorknob and just barely managed to turn the lock without dropping everything all over the stoop.

He opened the door and stepped inside, calling out, “Honey, I’m home!” as he did so. “Can you com – “

Unbeknownst to Kurt, there was a pair of shoes in his path. Blaine’s shoes. Kurt’s toe caught a shoe, and he went down. Hard. Groceries flew everywhere, and Kurt’s forehead caught the edge of the side table off to the side of the door that they used to set cell phones, keys, and mail on as they entered the house after arriving home.

Kurt’s head made a sickening “thunk” as it connected with the wood table. “FUCK, oh god that hurts,” he cried. He raised a hand to his forehead and it felt wet; he pulled the hand away to inspect it and he came away with his hand bright red with blood.

Blaine came running from the bedroom when he heard the crash. “Oh my god, Kurt, honey are you all right? Let me see – “

“DON’T TOUCH ME!”

Blaine had been about to touch Kurt’s head to examine the wound, but he froze in place at the sound of Kurt’s shout. Kurt didn’t usually yell like that; it kind of scared Blaine to hear it.

“…Kurt?” he tried again, hesitantly.

“I said don’t touch me!” Kurt snapped. “This is all your fault! You’re such a fucking slob! I asked you over and over to use the shoe rack that I bought so your shoes wouldn’t be in the middle of the rug, and look what happens? I trip on your fucking shoes! Dammit Blaine! I should’ve known you’d turn a goddamn pig! They all do!”

Kurt scrambled to stand up and was immediately woozy from the abrupt change in elevation. He covered his eyes but accidentally bopped himself in the head right over the break in his skin and he flinched; that shit burned.

“Kurt, you’re really hurt, please let me help you,” Blaine begged, again advancing toward Kurt.

“No!” Kurt panicked. “I have to go! I can’t stay here. I can’t take this. I have to go. I never should’ve moved in here.”

Blaine looked as though he had been punched in the gut when Kurt scrambled toward the door. Kurt tripped on a tomato that had escaped from one of the fallen grocery bags; he ended up kicking it and getting tomato juice and pulp all over his shoes, but he was so busy trying to flee that he didn’t even notice.

Blaine was momentarily too stunned to move and he stayed rooted to the spot he was standing on for a few seconds too long. He composed himself and ran out the door to stop Kurt, but it was too late; Kurt was already in his car and driving away. Blaine dropped to his knees in the drive, doing his best to catch his breath and avoid hyperventilating. The tears came streaming down, and he stayed there for quite some time before he pulled himself together and went back inside.

The forgotten groceries greeted him at the door. Slowly, he gathered the items that had survived the fall and put them away exactly as Kurt had insisted they be stored. After completing that task, he went back to assess the damage that the other items had caused. Every egg in the carton had cracked, and a jar of grape jelly had smashed on the linoleum just inside the door, causing the contents to spray onto the carpet several feet into the living area. Some part of Kurt’s body had landed on the loaf of bread when he fell, and it was now flat as a pancake. After tossing the items that were too far gone into the trash, he gathered a sponge, some paper towels, and the spray bottle of Kurt’s secret concoction of stain removers.  Being subject to so many slushies in his high school life, it was now habit for Kurt to keep a large, pre-mixed batch handy at all times. Blaine didn’t know what he should do other than spray it on and let Kurt deal with it when he came back.

If he came back.

Blaine took a few deep breaths and willed himself not to start crying again as he wiped the last smudges off the linoleum. A few drops of blood caught Blaine’s attention, and he remembered Kurt’s head injury. He was afraid for Kurt, knowing that he was driving with an untreated open wound and possible concussion, and he hoped that Kurt arrived at wherever he was going safely.

The mess finally cleaned up, Blaine put away his cleaning supplies and leaned against the doorframe. He hadn’t really had a chance to think about what had happened ‘til just then, but suddenly everything came rushing back to him.

The sickening noise Kurt’s head made when he hit his head as he fell to the ground.

Kurt’s heart wrenching cries of pain.

The horrid names Kurt called him.

_Fucking slob._

_Goddamn pig._

He could overlook those. He knew he himself got nasty when he was furious or hurting and he knew Kurt probably wasn’t even aware how hurtful he was being.

But Kurt’s last words as he hurried out the door were what were repeating themselves in the back of Blaine’s head and haunting him.

_I can’t stay here._

_I can’t take this._

_I have to go._

**_I never should’ve moved in here._ **

And the knowledge that he caused this to happen, that he could’ve prevented this and just put his fucking shoes in the fucking rack as Kurt had begged him to do on multiple occasions…

He opened his mouth and screamed. Loudly. As hard as he possibly could. When he ran out of breath, he inhaled as deeply as possible and did it again. And again. Until he was panting from the exertion and lack of air.

Blaine slid down the doorframe and sat with his head in his hands. He needed to think. What would he do when Kurt came back. What would he do if Kurt DIDN’T come back? Where would he be then? They had entered into this living arrangement assuming that all would be fine; they had no contingency plan for the unfathomable possibility that they might not be able to make this work.

Blaine needed to think. He needed to be alone without any interruptions. He couldn’t go anywhere – it was late, and he had no way of getting there. But if Kurt returned any time soon, he’d be able to come right in as he had his key.

Doing the only thing he could think of, Blaine got up and barricaded the door with the sofa and the side table.

He broke down again when he noticed he forgot to clean the edge of the table that had cut into Kurt’s head.

 


	64. Chapter 64

Kurt only managed to get a couple of blocks away from his home with Blaine before he had to pull over. His head was throbbing, blood was still running down his face, and he was somewhat dizzy. Not to mention he had burst into tears at some point. He was a hot mess, and he didn’t feel safe driving. But he had had to get away. He was well aware that he had said some pretty mean things, but he was just so ANGRY! He had told Blaine time and time again to put his shit away, and instead, all he got was a head injury and the very real possibility that a pair of shoes had fucked up their entire relationship for good.

The thought of losing Blaine made a fresh wave of tears stream down his face, which in turn made his head pound harder. _Bad idea,_ he thought. He leaned over very carefully to grab the tissue box on the floor of the passenger side and pulled out a wad to mop his face with. He started out with his eyes, wiping away the tears and composing himself. Tears equaled pain, so he took a few moments to breathe deeply and center himself so he wouldn’t start sobbing again. He would never get anywhere if he couldn’t get his head to stop trying to explode.

Once his breathing was back to semi-normal, he discarded the first batch of tissues and pulled out a fresh handful. He sucked in a sharp breath, wincing in pain, as the foreign object touched the fresh wound. It had stopped bleeding profusely and was now just oozing at a much slower rate. Didn’t stop it from hurting like someone shoved a knife into it, though. It seemed like just disturbing the air around the wound made it hurt, so he tossed the tissue ball onto the floor in a gesture of defeat.

Now that he was slightly more calm, he felt like he was able to pull the vehicle back on the road and continue his drive. He was thankful that he didn’t have to navigate any highways to reach his destination, and it was a fairly quiet time of day, so he didn’t have much traffic to contend with, either.

After a drive that took nearly twice as long as it would at any other time because he didn’t feel comfortable going as fast as the speed limit, he finally pulled his car into the driveway of the Hudson-Hummel home. He slowly slid out of the driver’s seat, being careful not to jiggle his head any more than necessary, and made his way to the front door. Before he could reach the porch, the door was thrown open with an excited babble coming from behind it.

“Oh Kurt! I didn’t know you were coming!” exclaimed Carole. “I saw your Navigator pull into the driveway. I’m so happy to see you! Where’s – “

At that moment, Carole caught sight of Kurt and the mess he was. “ – Blaine…?” she finished.

At the sound of Blaine’s name, Kurt burst out into tears again, immediately regretting it and swearing under his breath.

“Oh honey,” she said softly and gathered him up in her arms to escort him inside the house.

“Burt?” she called. Kurt noticed that she didn’t yell it as she normally would, and for that he was very grateful. “You need to come in here.”

“Just a minute!” he bellowed, and Kurt cringed.

“Now, Burt,” she said firmly.

“All right, all right,” Burt said as he strode into the room. “No need to nag. Kurt!” he said, finally noticing Kurt standing there in Carole’s arms. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Shh, Burt, quieter, please.”

“Kurt?”

Kurt had worked himself up into hysterics by this point, and could barely choke out an explanation. “B-Blaine… fell…hit…”

“BLAINE did this to you? Kurt? Do I need to hunt him down?” Burt asked forcefully, his Papa Bear instincts beginning to kick in.

“NO!” Kurt shook his head hard and then practically screamed from how much it hurt. The hangover from April Rhodes’ Chablis was far preferable to this.

“Carole, could you please clean him up? See if you can fix him up enough to talk with me?” Burt asked his wife.

She replied, “Of course. Kurt, honey, come with me. Let’s take a look at you and see what there is to see. It’s probably not as bad as it seems, aside from the headache. Head wounds bleed like crazy, so all that blood probably scared you to death.”

Kurt had been afraid at the large amounts of blood running down his face, but what terrified him the most is that his relationship with Blaine was in danger.

Carole led him into the bathroom and had him sit down on the closed toilet lid. He wasn’t a fan of sitting on any part of a toilet unless there was urgent business to take care of, but he was covered in blood, tears, dirt, and various foodstuffs – a few bathroom germs would be nothing.

Carole pulled the well stocked first aid kit out from underneath the sink and opened it up, pulling out the things she would need to dress Kurt’s wound. “I never used to have the need for this large of a first aid kit until Finn hit about the second grade or so. He started learning how to play football with his friends, and he was the clumsiest player any of them had ever seen. There’s probably not a square inch of skin on his body that wasn’t cut or abraded in some way during his elementary years. Thankfully he improved and turned into a good football player, but there were days I wondered if he’d ever grow out of it.”

Her method of distracting Kurt with a story while she tended to his injury worked; her soft, soothing voice lulled him into a near-doze. She tapped him on the shoulder and called his name to snap him out of it. “You’re all done, sweetheart. All we need to do now is get you an icepack for your forehead – the edges of the cut are really starting to bruise up and turn purple. I just need you to do one more thing for me.” She held her pointer finger up in front of his face. “Can you look straight at me and follow my finger around with your eyes only? Don’t turn your head, just watch me. I want to make sure you have no signs of a concussion.”

Kurt followed her finger around, and apparently Carole was satisfied with what she saw as she nodded her head approvingly and began packing away the medical supplies.

“I think you’re good to go, Kurt. Why don’t you go downstairs and grab that icepack for your head, and by then I’ll be done here. Then you can tell me and your father what happened before he goes crazy. I can hear his footsteps; he’s been pacing the whole time we’ve been in here.

Kurt looked stricken for a moment. He didn’t want to worry his father. He didn’t want to be any sort of burden to Burt’s health.

Carole studied his face. “I know what you’re thinking, Kurt, and stop it. Your father is fine. He had a couple of good checkups in a row. A little bit of worrying about you will not hurt him. Not physically, anyway. Go in there so we can ease his mind, okay?”

Kurt said, “Okay,” rather than nodding as he normally would; he was not moving his head a millimeter if he could help it. He slowly descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen where his father was fidgeting like a nervous father in the waiting room anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new child.

“Kurt? Talk to me.”

Kurt ignored him momentarily; he grabbed the icepack out of the freezer and wrapped it in a towel, and then he filled a glass of water from the dispenser and shook a few Tylenol out of the bottle in the medicine cabinet. He popped the pills and guzzled the whole glass of water as he was feeling rather parched after his epic crying jag. Finally, just as he was sitting himself down at the kitchen table, Carole slipped into the room and sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table and Kurt began to speak.

“I tripped over a shoe,” was all he offered.

Burt was confused. “A shoe? Turned you into _this_?” he asked, gesturing up and down Kurt’s body.

Kurt frowned. He knew he didn’t look so good, but the way Burt said it, it sounded as if he was completely hideous. He shook off his father’s words and thought for a moment, carefully considering how he should word his story. He was furious with Blaine, but as much as his father loved Blaine, Kurt was Burt’s first, and Burt would not hesitate to take Kurt’s side and defend him against anyone, even his own boyfriend.

“I guess… we’ve been kind of getting on each other’s nerves lately with our habits. I know I’m not the easiest person to live with, but every time he’s voiced a complaint with the way I do things, I have given it fair consideration and changed it if I can. But with Blaine, though I have a few other complaints, it’s almost always been the same things. Please stop leaving your shoes in the middle of the doorway; they’re a hazard. I’ve asked, I’ve joked, I’ve nagged, I’ve purchased a shoe rack for the entry… I’ve done everything I could to get him to form a new habit and make our place safer.

“But it didn’t work. I was coming home with my arms loaded with groceries. I went inside, and the shoes were there again. And I tripped. The groceries flew all over and I cracked my head on the table to the side of the door. And I snapped. Just totally freaked out on him. Part of it was pain – I don’t know if you’ve done to your head what I did to mine, but that was one of the most excruciating things I’ve gone through. But I was furious, too. I know I probably said some stuff I shouldn’t have said, but DAMN IT. Can you blame me?”

Kurt sat back in his chair and covered his face with his hands. Burt could hear him taking deep breaths and blowing them out slowly.

“How did Blaine react?”

Kurt was momentarily surprised; Burt wasn’t acting quite like he suspected. He thought Burt might be a little more protective than objective, but he was trying to do exactly what Kurt needed, which was to help Kurt reason things out.

“Um, he tried to help me off the floor, and I kind of screamed at him. He tried to help me clean up my head, and I wouldn’t let him touch me. He tried one last time and … oh god…” All of a sudden images that he had been repressing since the incident flooded into his brain. He heard the horrible things he said to Blaine. And worse, the heartbroken look on his face.

“Kurt?” Burt prompted.

“I said some unforgivable things. And he looked like he lost his best friend. And I know how he feels, because Blaine is my best friend just like I’m his, and I know _I_ sure feel like I lost my best friend…”

Kurt burst into tears again. He was shocked he had any left, as he felt like that was all he had been able to do all evening. Burt pulled him into his arms and held him until he was all cried out. Carole, who had been listening quietly, got up and filled another glass of water for Kurt. Kurt drank it down and then laid his head down on the table, crossing his arms underneath as a pillow.

“Kurt, honey? What will you do now?”

“I honestly don’t know. Right now all I want to do is sleep and forget this ever happened for awhile. Could I stay here for the night?”

“Of course, sweetie, I’ll just – “

“No,” Burt said firmly. “You’re going back home.”

Kurt and Carole both looked at him in surprise

Burt continued. “You said you feel like you lost your best friend and that Blaine looked like he felt the same way. He’s probably already in a world of hurt because you ran. He’s probably not even processing the things you said. I don’t even know what you said, but knowing you and the fact that you have a hard time controlling that mouth of yours from time to time, it probably wasn’t good. But Kurt, Blaine’s been abandoned before. And you just went and did it again. You need to go back and see if he can look past that. Because even though he made some mistakes that blew up in your face almost literally, he doesn’t deserve you walking out on him just for that.

“You are always welcome in this house, Kurt. But to visit, not to run away from your problems. Do you remember what your mother always said?”

Kurt nodded. “Never let the sun go down on your anger,” he said in unison with Burt.

“The sun may be down now, but you can get this solved before the sun comes back up. Come on. I don’t want you driving, so Carole and I will help you get your car home, but you need to go home now before any more time passes.”

“Okay,” he said softly. “Let’s go.”

Burt drove Kurt home in his Navigator while Carole followed behind in her car to bring Burt home. They pulled up in front of Kurt and Blaine’s house. Carole got out of her car and rushed up to the passenger side door to pull him into a warm, motherly hug.

“It’s going to be okay, Kurt,” she murmured in his ear. “I would bet on your relationship lasting even before I’d bet on my own with your father, that’s how much faith I have in you boys. Your love is one in a million. This is just a bump in the road.”

Kurt nodded and mumbled, “Thank you,” in the crook of her neck.

Burt turned Kurt’s vehicle off and came to join them.  “Call me in the morning, son, and let me know how you boys are. I love you. And tell Blaine I love him too.”

“I love you too, Dad. And Carole.”

With one more hug for the road, Burt and Carole left Kurt standing alone on the front stoop. All of a sudden, Kurt was terror stricken. He was scared to death that Blaine wouldn’t forgive his words. He took a few more moments to psych himself up for the discussion yet to come, and then he slowly slid his key in the lock and turned the doorknob.

Kurt pushed the door open, but it only moved a couple of inches before he met an immovable object. He leaned on the door, hoping he could budge the object enough to sneak in, but he was unsuccessful. He slid his hand in the door opening and immediately his hand landed on something soft and tall. It took him only a moment to figure out what it was: the sofa.

 _Oh god_ , he cried softly. _He’s purposely keeping me out. This is it._

He took a few moments to panic over the implications of being barricaded out of his own home, and then he stood up straight and tall and gave himself a pep talk.

_Snap out of it. You are a Hummel. Hummels are strong. We don’t give up. Everything is going to work itself out. Your relationship is NOT over._

He leaned over, his mouth close to the open space between the door and its frame, and spoke.

“Blaine, will you come out and talk to me, please?”

Nothing.

“I’m sorry I ran.”

Again, nothing. Every few moments, he would say something else in hopes that Blaine could hear him.

“I’m truly sorry I said those awful things. I didn’t know I was saying them in the heat of the moment, but I remember now and I am ashamed of my cruelty. You didn’t deserve those words.”

“I do want to live here. I want to live wherever you are. Home isn’t home without you.”

Kurt heard nothing but silence from behind the front door and crickets off in the distance.

Kurt was getting tired of standing. He could go back to his SUV and sit in a comfortable seat, but he wanted to be able to speak to Blaine. He wanted to be close by. His father was so right about not allowing him to stay overnight. He knew now that his place was here, near Blaine.

“I hope you know how much I love you.”

“My heart hurts knowing I’ve hurt you, Blaine. I hope you can forgive me, but also please understand why I was angry. It doesn’t excuse my actions, I know…”

He continued offering apologies, confessions of love, and other random things that he loved about him or them, but he continued to be greeted with silence. He intended to speak for as long as possible, but he began to truly feel his exhaustion. He slid down the wall of the house and sat right beside the door – near enough to be seen, but just enough out of the way that he wouldn’t be stepped on if Blaine decided to leave the house.

“I hate not being able to say goodnight to you and watch you fall asleep, Blaine. Falling asleep and waking up next to you are the two best parts of my day.”

Eventually Kurt stopped speaking, sleep finally overtaking him. Not long after he had dozed off, he was shaken awake by an odd scraping sound coming from behind the door. It stopped, and then nothing happened. He had just decided to try sleep again when he heard a voice above him.

“Should you be sleeping right now?”

Kurt rubbed his eyes, not entirely certain he was awake. He blinked his eyes to clear the sleep from them and looked up. Blaine was standing above him, looking positively wrecked. Kurt supposed he had the right; in a few short hours, both of them had been through the wringer.

“Excuse me?”

“You shouldn’t sleep when you have a concussion. You might not wake up.”

 _That’s a good sign,_ Kurt thought. _He’s not wishing me dead or anything._

“Carole checked me out. I don’t have a concussion. Just a flesh wound and a bruised forehead.”

Blaine nodded. “That’s good, then.”

Kurt sucked in a breath of air and began, “Blaine, I – “

“Kurt, don’t,” Blaine interrupted.

“But Blaine – “

“Kurt. Don’t. I heard every single word you said earlier,” he said as he lowered himself to the ground to sit next to Kurt.

“Oh, you did? I was hoping that wherever you were, you could hear me.”

“I was actually lying on the couch just on the other side of the door.”

“Blaine, why did you block the door? I was afraid it was a huge ‘screw you’ and that was your way of saying that you weren’t planning on ever letting me back in. Come to think of it, I still don’t know if you plan on letting me back in…”

“Don’t be silly, of course I’m not shutting you out.”

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. “But why? Out of all that things that happened tonight, that was the part that scared me the most. I thought we were done.”

“I needed to think, Kurt. Really think. By myself. And since you have a key and had access at any time, and I didn’t really have anywhere to go or any way of getting there, I needed this to be my place to think. So I barricaded the door to keep this as my own personal space for just a little while longer. I’m so sorry I scared you.

“And I’m really sorry I was so careless that I caused an accident. I know you’ve been on me and on me about that and it was all my fault that you were hurt. I haven’t had an excuse other than laziness before, but today, I kicked off my shoes and ran inside. I was so excited to get cleaned up so we could celebrate the amazing news.”

“News? What news?”

“Judy, the rental agent in New York, called. We’ve been approved for the apartment.”

Kurt couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, but it faded almost immediately. “Is… is that still happening?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“Yes, of course it’s still happening. Why wouldn’t it?”

“God, Blaine, I said such horrible things.”

“You were provoked.”

“I know, but there’s no excuse for some of them. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re forgiven. And Kurt, I’m so sorry, too.”

“You’re forgiven as well,” Kurt choked out as he began to cry.

Blaine took Kurt in his arms and rubbed his back to soothe him. "Kurt, baby, don’t cry! What’s wrong?”

“It’s relief, Blaine. I thought I might be coming back here to pack my things.”

“I won’t give you up that easily, Kurt. We’ve said and done some things we regret deeply. But Kurt, I’m still so desperately in love with you. And the way you’re clinging to me right now kinda tells me that you might feel the same.”

“You are the love of my _life_ , Blaine.”

“See? We mean too much to each other and have been through too much together to let a bump in the road like this break us. And that’s all it is. A bump in the road.”

Kurt giggled softly.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing important. It’s just that Carole used the exact same words on me earlier tonight.”

“You should listen to her. She’s a smart lady.”

“Speaking of smart lady, I should probably text her so she doesn’t worry.”

Kurt pulled his phone out of his pocket and created a new text to Carole.

**_Bump in the road successfully navigated._ **

“Come on, sweetie, it’s been a long night.” Blaine scrambled up from his place on the stoop and held his hand out to help Kurt up. Kurt wobbled a little bit; the throbbing in his head had calmed considerably over time, but standing too quickly made him dizzy, and he groaned at the slight wave of nausea. “Whoa, babe. Careful. Let’s get you inside.”

Moments later, Kurt’s phone buzzed, signaling a reply to the message he sent earlier. He opened the text and couldn’t help laughing at what it said.

“What did she say, Kurt?”

“ _He_ , as in my dad, said ‘ **My wife is currently flailing around like an idiot. I appreciate that you made her happy, but could you do it during daylight so I can sleep? Love to you both, Dad.** ’”

They both had a good chuckle and continued on to their bedroom. Blaine helped Kurt change into his pajamas and hovered nearby as Kurt used the toilet and brushed his teeth. Kurt came out of the bathroom and walked right up to Blaine, throwing his arms around him and pulling him into a steamy make-up kiss. He was too tired and still hurting too much for any other sort of make-up activities, so Blaine pulled the covers back and tucked Kurt into bed. He then retrieved a bottle of cold water, some painkillers, and an icepack and brought them to Kurt. Kurt dutifully swallowed the pills and took several long swigs of the refreshing water before lying back and holding the icepack to his forehead. Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand and squeezed it before went into the bathroom to get himself ready for bed.

By the time he was through, Kurt was already fast asleep, succumbing to his exhaustion. His hand holding the icepack had fallen away from him; Blaine carefully extracted the pack from his fingers and set it aside. Blaine peeled back the blankets on his own side of the bed and slid in, trying hard not to jiggle Kurt and wake him. As soon as he heard Kurt’s soft snores indicating that he was truly and fully asleep, Blaine allowed himself to do what he had needed to do for awhile by then: he wept in relief. He thought he was doing it silently, but he had still managed to disturb Kurt’s rest. Kurt flipped over onto his back and pulled Blaine over to lie on his chest. As far as Blaine could tell, Kurt was almost fully asleep and probably had no idea he was even doing it, but Kurt’s hand combed through Blaine’s hair softly, and he mumbled sleepily, “It’s okay Blaine, we’re okay. I’m here. We’ll be okay.”

Between the gentle reassuring **_thud, thud, thud_** of Kurt’s heartbeat and the comforting whispered words repeated over and over again like a chant, Blaine fell asleep with a brighter lookout on the following day, and on life in general.

 

 


	65. Chapter 65

Without entirely realizing it, Kurt and Blaine tiptoed around each other, each afraid they may say or do something that may upset the other and cause “ _that awful night_ ” to occur again. After a short amount of time, they regained confidence in themselves and their relationship and things went back to normal. Things did change, though. Blaine put a small sign on the door that read “Shoes on the rack” to remind himself of the importance of putting his shoes away (but of course, Kurt took Blaine’s sign down and tacked up a prettier, more bedazzled version in its place), and Kurt made sure that his armloads were smaller so that he still could make eye contact with the floor in front of him to ensure there were no obstacles in his way. And on the off-chance that Blaine would forget to put them away, Kurt would sigh but wordlessly move the shoes to their appropriate place without nagging.

The summer went by in a flash. The boys kept themselves busy working for Burt, seeing the summer blockbusters, hanging with various members of the New Directions and the Warblers, and putting time into their own relationship. They knew finances would be tight in New York, so they put serious effort into discovering new activities that could be done together without much, or any, money.

The month of August came upon them, and so did the departure dates of all their friends to various schools and destinations across the country. As Kurt and Blaine hadn’t planned on leaving until all of their friends that were leaving had gone, they made it their duty to help each and every one of their friends pack up their rooms in preparation for their new lives as high school graduates. Some of them needed more help than others. A few were making moves permanently and dismantled their entire bedrooms to take with them, whereas others were planning on visiting home often and only needed to take along enough things to make their dorm rooms or off-campus apartments comfortable while they were away.

Helping their friends had its advantages; they were given first dibs on any discards. They were able to collect a few small pieces of furniture and a few outdated, but still functional, electronics in addition to books, CDs, and DVDs to add to their media collection. Clothing was offered, too, but to no one’s surprised, it was almost never accepted – Blaine was shorter than the other boys, and Kurt’s style was far too eclectic. Kurt did choose a few pins and scarves that caught his eye from the girls’ offerings, though.

One thing that was always offered but graciously declined was their friends’ help in packing up their own place. It would have been nice to have the assistance, but Kurt and Blaine had the one thing that none of their friends had: their memories of living there together. They wanted to do everything by themselves. Blaine’s place, which had become theirs, had been where many of their firsts as a couple had occurred, and they wanted to be free to reminisce at their own pace, without interruptions. Santana would tease that they just “wantsta get their mack on,” and _that_ wasn’t outside the realm of possibility, either. One never knew what kind of memory something might kick up.

Slowly they began the daunting taste of packing up their memories. They would never be living as Mrs. Christopherson’s tenants again, so they had to pack thoroughly, leaving it as if they had never been there at all. It kind of hurt; Kurt was the type who wanted to leave his mark everywhere he went. He wanted everyone to remember who Kurt Hummel was.

They had a couple of weeks left to pack. The place was small, so they felt comfortable taking their time. It was easy to figure out what to pack first. Things like Blaine’s keyboard, his winter clothes, their combined book and CD collection, and most of their linens went into boxes first. They each stripped their wardrobes down to bare bones, acknowledging the fact that it would not kill them to only keep out a minimum of mix and match pieces and wash laundry often, and packed away the rest. Much of the furniture belonged to the apartment, but they didn’t really need any of the items that did belong to them until they got to New York, so they emptied any drawers in the furniture items and marked them with the Post-It notes they were using to designate which items would be going with them when they left. Kurt reluctantly emptied out his mother’s vanity and carefully wrapped the whole thing by himself, not trusting anyone to package it carefully enough to withstand the long drive.

Blaine left Kurt alone in the room while he took care of the vanity. When he returned, the vanity was covered in blankets and padding, and Kurt was standing in front of it, touching the table top and bowing his head with his eyes closed.

“Doing okay, sweetheart?” Blaine asked quietly.

Kurt nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” He was silent for a few more moments. “I need to go see her before we go. And I need to introduce you to her, too. Officially, that is. After that moment in the woods in Columbus, I’m pretty sure she’s made it her business to know you already.”

Blaine grinned. “You know I’d love to meet her, Kurt. To have loved Burt and created you, she’s someone I’ve gotta meet.” Blaine pulled Kurt close and kissed him on his collarbone. “It’s beautiful outside right now – did you want to go today?”

“Yeah, I think so. I don’t want to put it off and then all of a sudden not have time to go.”

They got into the Navigator and drove to a non-denominational cemetery just outside of Lima. It was in a very secluded area. Not so secluded that it was forgotten about, though; it was quite well kept. Kurt guided the vehicle along the winding path to the back of the property where there was a flowering tree.

“Come on,” Kurt urged Blaine. “She’s right over here.” Kurt grabbed the bouquet of wildflowers he’d purchased at a small roadside stand along the way and led the way to the granite headstone nearest the tree.

Blaine took a look at the grave marker and smiled. “Even at eight years old, you still had amazing taste. I sense Kurt Hummel all over this.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah, it really is. No offense to your father, but I get the sense that if he had chosen it himself, it would have been gaudy.”

Kurt burst out into laughter. “It’s scary how well you have him pegged. It was a long time ago, but I still remember the monstrosity that he picked. It was HUGE. I get that he loved Mom with everything he had, but there are other ways to honor her than four-foot-tall carved angels.”

Blaine shuddered. “That sounds… ostentatious.”

“I believe the words you were searching for are ‘criminally hideous’, but ostentatious fits, too.”

**_ELIZABETH RENEE HUMMEL_ **

**_1977 – 2002_ **

****

**_To know even one life breathed easier_ ** **_  
because she lived is to know she  
truly succeeded while here._ **

 

Blaine felt the tears rush to his eyes – the epitaph was beautiful – but he held them back and grinned at Kurt. “Elizabeth, huh? So your middle name really is Elizabeth?”

“Well, officially it’s Eli. Still after her, but more gender appropriate. After she passed, I figured I didn’t give a damn and will tell anyone who asks, except for official paperwork and the like, that my middle name is Elizabeth.”

Kurt clapped his hands together. “So! Anyway, Mom and I kind of have a routine here. I lay out a blanket underneath the tree and have a seat. I ramble on as long as I feel like, I sit here for awhile longer in silence afterward so if she feels the need to speak to me, she can get a word in edgewise, and then I head home. No one is ever here; most of the more recent deaths are housed at the church cemeteries closer to town so I’m never interrupted. Mom was religious, but not overly so. We figured she wouldn’t mind being buried here so Dad and I would be more comfortable visiting.”

“I’ve seen the cemeteries in town – they’re nowhere near as beautiful as this place. It was a great decision.”

“I thought so.” Kurt pulled a blanket out of his messenger bag and Blaine helped him spread it out. “I had to bring a bigger blanket this time. I usually don’t have to share.”

“Oh… um, should I be leaving you alone with your mom for awhile? I can come back in a little while….” Blaine began shuffling backwards, expecting to be asked to make himself scarce for a bit.

“No, no. I have nothing to say to Mom that you can’t hear, too. I just plan on singing your praises and gushing like a lovesick teenager. You might enjoy the ego boost.”

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and pulled him over to the grave. Blaine all of a sudden felt a rush of nerves. He felt ridiculous for being nervous – he was being introduced to a dead woman, after all – but he shook it off. This ritual was extremely important to Kurt, and therefore it should be important to him as well.

Kurt walked up to the side on the marker and placed his hands on it, almost reverently. “Hi Mom. Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to see you again, but I’ve been busy doing so many other things. Like graduating. Can you believe it, Momma? I actually made it all the way through high school! I know for awhile there we didn’t think I would, but that decision Dad and Carole made to send me to Dalton ended up being the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me.” Kurt’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I found the reason I had the strength and the _courage_ to keep pushing forward.”

Blaine’s eyes teared up. It was always hard to hear Kurt speak of darker times where Kurt wasn’t sure if there’d be a future for himself.

“I know I’ve talked about him before, Mom, but it’s been so long since I’ve been here that my previous chatter had been all gushing fanboy. I’m afraid it won’t be much different now – he’s mine now, but I still gush about him all the time.” Kurt kept his place at the headstone but reached out for Blaine with one hand, beckoning him to join him. “I want to introduce you to my boyfriend Mom. Elizabeth Hummel, please meet Blaine Anderson, _mon amour._ ”

Blaine felt a bit awkward in the absence of a hand to shake or a body to embrace, so he copied Kurt and placed his hand on her marker in greeting. “Hello Mrs. Hummel – “

“Elizabeth,” Kurt broke in. “If there was one thing Mom hated to be called, it was Mrs. Hummel. It wasn’t because she wasn’t proud to be married to Dad – she was thrilled to be with Dad – but she absolutely HATED my grandmother and avoided being reminded that she shared a name with her as much as possible. So, she is Elizabeth. Except to Dad – she was Lizzie to Dad.”

“Pardon me. Hello, Elizabeth. It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. I hope everything that Kurt has told you about me so far has been good.”

“Don’t worry sweetheart, they have.” Kurt kissed Blaine on the cheek. “Should we go sit down on our blanket for our talk with Mom?”

The tree Mrs. Hummel was buried under was close enough to the actual grave where they could lean up against it without feeling like they were talking to nothing at all. Blaine sat right at the base of the tree and pulled Kurt back to sit between his legs, resting Kurt’s head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around Kurt, and Kurt grabbed both of his hands and kissed them softly.

“I know you can see how much he loves me, Momma, and I love him even more than that.”

“He does not!” Blaine protested. “I love Kurt to infinity and beyond! There’s no way he loves me more than I love him!”

Kurt rolled his eyes so hard that Blaine could practically hear them shifting in their sockets. “See what I have to live with, Mom? He’s absolutely incorrigible.

“And speaking of living with… we’ve been living together for the past couple of months preparing for our upcoming move to New York! I’m going to try to make it on Broadway. Remember all those musicals we acted out together, Momma? You were always my favorite co-star. It’s no secret I got my talent from you.”

“And he is ridiculously talented, too, Mrs. Humm- Elizabeth. I hope you’ve looked in on him in Glee club or at one of our competitions recently. Even Rachel Berry doesn’t hold a candle to him.”

Kurt blushed. “Stop, I’m not _that_ good.”

“Yes you are,” Blaine protested.

“Okay yeah, I am.” Both boys giggled. “Mom – you should hear Blaine. He thinks he’s some untalented hack – “

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

“Shut up, you! But he’s _not_! He takes my breath away constantly! Sing for her, Blaine?”

“What? Oh, oh no…. no, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just…”

“Why? Because it’s weird singing to a dead woman? Only her body is dead, Blaine. Her spirit is alive and well and is around here somewhere and laughing at us because we’re acting like the Bickersons. Sing for her, Blaine.”

Blaine laughed. Kurt always could argue his way through anything. “Okay. I will sing TO her, but I will be singing FOR you.”

**_Wise men say only fools rush in  
But I can't help falling in love with you  
Shall I stay  
Would it be a sin  
If I can't help falling in love with you  
  
Like a river flows surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes  
Some things are meant to be  
Take my hand, take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you_ **

 

Kurt cranked his head backwards to look at Blaine. His eyes were swimming with tears. “That was beautiful! Why haven’t I heard you sing that before?”

“I don’t know – guess I just hadn’t thought of that song before now.”

“Well, way to go to break out a song that makes me cry in front of my _mom_. She hates it when people cry.”

“Sorry Elizabeth,” Blaine apologized. “Sorry, I’m not sorry!”

Kurt punched him in the shoulder. “UGH! I swear, Blaine Anderson. You’re lucky I love you so much!” He turned back to face the grave again. “All right, laugh it up, Mom. I know you’re out there somewhere, watching us and giggling your rear end off.”

Kurt’s voice got softer. “But I hope you can see how much we love each other. God, Mom, I love him more than I can even express. I know it’s early, but we both know we’re going to be together forever, however long that is. As long as we’re on this earth, we’ll belong to each other.”

Blaine placed a loving kiss on the top of Kurt’s head as Kurt continued to tell his mom about various happenings in their lives with Blaine interjecting the occasional comment. He felt Kurt’s body jiggle in his lap as he laughed while describing various Glee club shenanigans, he wiped stray tears from Kurt’s face as he talked about his experience with Blaine’s illness and his fears that he would lose Blaine, and he reminisced along with Kurt as he told his mother of their first Christmas together and the amazingly meaningful gifts they had given each other.

While Kurt rambled on, Blaine began to zone out. He was intimately familiar with their story, so he hoped Kurt would forgive him for not giving it his utmost attention. He loved how it felt to have Kurt leaning against him like this under the tree. _I wonder if we can find a tree like this to sit under in Central Park somewhere?_ he thought. He thought about the apartment in New York. They had received pics from Ian and Simon of furniture they were discarding; he and Kurt had opted to accept all of the extra pieces for now and if they didn’t fit into Kurt’s ultimate plan, they’d get rid of them later. But they were in no position to reject free furniture. He wondered if the apartment was soundproofed in any way, shape, or form. He was thinking mainly of his musical instruments, but he had to admit, sometimes sex between them could get rather loud.

“… Blaine? Are you with me, Blaine?”

Blaine looked up, startled. “Oh, I’m sorry, Kurt. I was kind of…”

“Out of it? Yeah, I guessed that much, seeing as how this is like the fifth time I said your name. I finished my talk with my mom, and I’m ready to go. Are you?”

Blaine nodded. “As much as I’m loving sitting here in this amazingly good weather underneath this beautiful tree with the most exquisite creature in my arms, my ass is falling asleep. Yeah, I’m ready to go.”

Kurt and Blaine scrambled off the blanket, and Kurt bent over to begin folding it up to take it home. Blaine took a moment to admire the view and then shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind. _No dirty thoughts when you’re about to speak to your boyfriend’s mother, even if she isn’t in much of a position to do anything to the defiler of her baby boy…_

Blaine approached the headstone as Kurt finished putting away the blanket. “Hey… Elizabeth. Man, it feels weird to say that, even though I don’t know you. But I just wanted to tell you that I promise I will keep your son safe and happy and loved as long as he allows me in his life to do so. He saved me. He is the most precious gift I have ever received, and I will move Heaven and Earth to deserve him every single day. One day we’ll be here telling you about our wedding. I can’t wait ‘til the day I can call him mine legally, in front of God and country. But until then, I’m going to love him just as much as I possibly can.”

He rubbed the smooth top of the carved granite, flicking a stray leaf off the top, and turned around to find Kurt right behind him, almost in his face, Kurt placed his hand on the back of Blaine’s head and pulled him in close for a deep kiss. “Thank you for humoring me today. And thank you for loving me always.”

They stood, arms wrapped around each other, when a big gust of wind came from nowhere. It was enough to make them jump, yet it hadn’t disturbed so much as a single blade of grass around them. “All right Mom, very funny. I didn’t think you’d be a cockblocker, too.”

Blaine chuckled. “Kurt, I don’t know if you can be called a cockblocker if there were no imminently intimate activities.”

“I was in your arms. And you are gorgeous. And sexy. And warm. Things most certainly could’ve happened!”

“Kurt, I’m open-minded and adventurous. But I don’t think sex in a cemetery in front of your mother’s grave is on my radar.”

The wind came swirling back around again, this time strong enough to make Kurt stumble backwards. “All right! All right! We’re going, Mom. Sheesh! You might want to avert your eyes for the next few hours or so Mom – I don’t know if you look down on me very often, if ever, but… yeah. Just… don’t look.” Kurt covered his flushed face.

“Okay, babe, I think we’ve wreaked all the havoc we care to wreak here. Let’s head home. I’m anxious to learn why you told your mom to avert her eyes.”

“And I’m anxious to get to the reason why she should.”

 


	66. Chapter 66

"For cryin' out loud, Kurt," Burt said with an exaggerated oomph. "What do you have in here? Rocks?"

The box Burt was carrying was clearly labeled Kitchen: Pots and Pans. Of course it would be heavy. Kurt glared at his father. "Here's your sign, Dad."

"What do you mean here's your sign?"

"Doesn't that comedian you like say Here's your sign when people completely miss the obvi – ugh, never mind."

"You implyin' that I'm stupid, kid?" Burt set the box down and grabbed Kurt in a headlock, assuming the "noogie" position.

"No sir, ugh, not the hair! Not at all!" Kurt struggled in his father's loose grip, wanting to save himself before his father's knuckles could come anywhere near his head.

"Now, now, boys, break it up!" Blaine came into the room chuckling at the scene. Burt and Kurt were nearly opposite as could be, but each could give as good as they got, and give BACK even better.

They broke apart, laughing, and Kurt made the mistake of turning his back on his father. Burt took full advantage of the opportunity and administered the noogie. Then, wisely, he turned tail and ran just as Kurt was yelling "HEY! Dammit!" Kurt went to go after his dad to get him back by stealing the baseball cap that Burt felt naked without, but Blaine caught him around the waist.

"Gotcha! You're staying right here with me, young man! We have lots of work to do."

Burt stood across the room, grinning like the cat that ate the canary, knowing he had won that round. It was an ongoing war, though, and they would probably never have a full leg up on the other.

Kurt formed a V with his index and middle fingers and flashed Burt the "I'm watching you" hand gesture, and then he picked up a box (this one labeled Blaine's Misc) to take out to the trailer.

To move Blaine and Kurt to New York, they rented a small U-Haul trailer, and with that and the space in the Navigator and Carole's car, they would have enough space to carry all of their things. They weren't bringing any large furniture; everything they would own to start with either had belonged to Simon and Ian previously, or would be purchased in New York to avoid hauling it. Kurt and Blaine would drive the Navigator "one last time" (it was impractical to keep a vehicle, especially a large one, in Manhattan, so it would not be staying), and Burt and Carole would drive her car. Once unloaded, Burt would drive the SUV back to Ohio with Carole following behind.

Kurt insisted on being the one to pack all of the boxes in the various vehicles. He prided himself on being especially skilled at Car Tetris (and all of its variations: Closet Tetris, Refrigerator Tetris, etc), and no one else dared suggest otherwise. Kurt was already stressed out enough so they were all content to let him do his thing, and they in turn would do his bidding. This time.

Kurt was outside with a box in his hand, his eyes darting back and forth between vehicles, trying to spot the best possible nook or cranny to fit it into. He was looking especially frazzled, almost wild.

"Put it down, Kurt." Kurt whipped his head around, a bit started. The source of the voice, Blaine, was right behind him, looking at Kurt with concern. "Honey, you need to take a moment. I can see the steam pouring from your ears, and pretty soon your head's going to shoot straight off up into the sky."

Blaine put his hands on Kurt's shoulder and began giving him a massage with a strong grip. Kurt hung his head, his hands covering his face. "Baby, your shoulders are full of knots." He stopped rubbing and pushed Kurt gently in front of him. "Come on – we're going to go inside and sit down, and I'm going to see what I can do about all this tension in your shoulders." He dropped his voice to a whisper and spoke directly into Kurt's ear. "It's too bad we have company; I could _fuck_ the stress right out of you."

Kurt shuddered at Blaine's words and the mental picture that followed. "Blaine, you ass. You can't do this to me _NOW_ …"

"Sorry, babe. But I can try to help your shoulders and back some." Blaine led Kurt inside and sat him down on the couch. Addressing Carole, who was fussing around in the kitchen space, he said, "Our boy was just about to pop. He needs to take a break or he's going to make himself sick."

"Good idea, Blaine," Carole agreed. "Thanks for looking out for him."

"Just doing my job." Kurt laid face down on the couch, and Blaine straddled his back. Blaine's strong hands cut right through a lot of the tension in Kurt's body immediately. It felt so good that Kurt began to moan and groan. Blaine loved that he was able to make Kurt make those delicious noises, but he (and his dick) wished that the circumstances were different and that he was making those sounds for another reason altogether.

Burt entered the room from their bedroom with a box of clothes just as Kurt groaned especially loudly, and Burt dropped the box and slapped his hands over his eyes. "Do I need to leave you boys alone and come back at another time?" he asked, afraid to know the answer.

"It's okay, Burt. Kurt's just wound far too tightly and Blaine's making him take a break before he makes himself sick," Carole reassured him.

Burt slowly moved his hands away from his eyes and noted that all clothing was in place, all hands were located in non-incriminating places, and his wife was in the room to supervise, so he breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the box he had dropped. He knew the boys were… _together…_ and he had dealt with that, but he wasn't too keen on seeing it in progress.

"Feeling better, honey?" Blaine asked, but he was met with a tiny snore instead of a verbal response. "Kurt?"

Blaine got up from the couch carefully so as not to disturb Kurt and went over to speak to Burt and Carole.

"He's exhausted. He didn't sleep for more than an hour last night – he was up the whole time packing and unpacking and repacking just about everything we'd already packed. I don't want to wake him; the wrath I'll suffer for packing the cars myself will be worth him getting some rest." The Hummels agreed, so they resumed emptying the apartment while Kurt slept on the couch.

**xXxXxXx**

" _Then close your eyes, and tap your heels together three times."_

_Kurt looked down at his feet, adorned in beautiful ruby red sparkly Doc Martens, and tapped his heels together three times._

_*click*_

_*click*_

_*click*_

" _And think to yourself - "There's no place like home; there's no place like home; there's no place like home."_

_Kurt closed his eyes tightly and obeyed, reciting Glinda's words over and over again. "There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home."_

"Kurt… Kurt… Wake up honey," Blaine said, shaking him gently. Kurt struggled to bring himself back to consciousness and was momentarily surprised to see Blaine rather than the Cowardly Lion, the one he loved most of all.

Kurt rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Long enough for me to pack the cars. We're all set except for dropping the keys off with Mrs. Christopherson. Then we can get going."

"You packed up the cars without me?" Kurt asked, a little annoyed that he'd been allowed to sleep through the whole thing.

Blaine knelt down on the floor in front of Kurt, taking both of Kurt's hands in both of his own. "Kurt, you weren't any help to anyone in your previous state. You were running on no sleep, you were tense beyond belief, and you were going to make yourself sick. I need you to be well to help me when we get to New York because I can't do this without you."

Kurt thought about it for a moment and realized that he really did feel better. Perhaps he was more in need of the nap break than he thought. "Okay," he said. "You MIGHT have been right about that."

Blaine grinned. "Might have? You're not gonna let me have full bragging rights on this one?"

"Nope. Can't let you run around thinking you're right ALL the time, you know!"

Blaine brought his hand to his chest. "You _wound_ me, sir!"

"And you're a nut. Come on, let's drop off these keys and get moving. Somehow I have the feeling you guys let me sleep longer than you should have and we are behind schedule."

"Not terribly."

Kurt looked at his cell phone and winced. "But not good, either. We need to move it."

They made the walk over to the main house where Mrs. Christopherson was. She nearly squeezed the stuffing out of both boys, and by the time she was finished hugging them, they almost felt a bit claustrophobic. She demanded a promise from them that they would visit her whenever they were in the area, and they agreed. After kissing her on both cheeks, the two said their final goodbyes and pried themselves out of her clutches.

"I'm going to miss her. We had some good talks over the past year," Blaine confessed.

"I will, too. She's pretty much the only person who appreciated my wide variety of teas and who would have a tea party with me."

"I would have!"

"You would've done it for me, Blaine, but you wouldn't have enjoyed it. After all, I am a purist when it comes to tea parties. Gaudy hats, feather boas, stuffed animals as guests, and pinkies in the air."

"Hey! How can you say I wouldn't have enjoyed that?"

"You also wouldn't have been allowed to jump on the furniture."

"Oh, well, never mind then," he said in mock disappointment.

"Amateur."

They climbed into the vehicle and drove to Hummel Tires & Lube, Burt and Carole following behind. They wanted to say one last goodbye to Finn, who was staying behind to run the shop while Burt was helping transport Kurt and Blaine to New York, and to Sam and Puck, who were hired by Burt to take over Kurt and Blaine's duties.

Finn gave them both a big hug, and Kurt noticed that his big brother was trying to hold back tears. Yes, they certainly had come a long way since sophomore year.

Puck pulled Blaine into a one-armed man hug, but gave Kurt a huge bear hug, much to his surprise. "Anyone gives you trouble, Kurt, you call me up. My jurisdiction does not end at the county line – I will happily kick the ass of anyone, anywhere, who dares to fuck with my boys."

"Thanks Noah, that means a lot." Puck grumbled at the use of his given name, but he let it slide. BUT it was only because it _was_ Kurt that he had let it slide.

"And you… hobbit. Everything I said to you back when you and Kurt started dating? That goes double for now. You look out for him, you take care of him, and you bring him back here from time to time in better condition than you left with him in. Hummel's my boy." He got up in Blaine's face, no doubt hoping to intimidate him, but Blaine was quite familiar with Puck's tactics and motivations by now.

"I swear it, Puck."

"Good man," Puck said, clapping Blaine on the back a little too roughly as he staggered forward trying to keep his balance.

Sam merely offered handshakes and best wishes as both boys knew Mercedes better than him, but the sentiments were appreciated regardless.

"Well, we should probably head out so we can get this show on the road," Burt said, joining them to see what the delay was.

"One more minute, Dad. There's just one more thing I need to do." Kurt went into the office and ran his hand along the edge of the ancient desk inside. He sat down on the rickety chair and carefully, veeeeerrrryyy carefully, spun around, just as he used to do when he was little. Right after his mom died, Kurt had spent a lot of time in this office, keeping out of trouble, and later learning to help his father with inventory and later, the account books.

"You're not leaving this place forever, Kurt. Times change and people change, but barring any major disasters, knock on wood," he said while rapping his fist on the old wood, "this place is always going to be here."

"I know, Dad. It's just been an integral part of my life. I had to come and say _so long, see you later_ to it." Kurt stood up from the chair and approached Burt, who threw his arm around Kurt's shoulder, and they walked out the door to begin the long drive.


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue left after this chapter!

"Now, you've got enough money on you for gas along the way?"

"Yes Dad."

"And you've got the address for the hotel we're stopping at overnight plugged into your GPS?"

"Yes Dad."

"And you've got snacks and coffee for the ride?"

" _Yes_ Carole, thank you."

"And – "

"Dad, we're good. I'm an obsessive planner, you know this. We'll be okay. And if not, we have your number, not to mention we're both 18 and reasonably intelligent people. We'll figure out anything we might have to figure out."

"All right, all right. Just seizing the last few opportunities I have to take care of you before I have to set you free in New York."

"Thanks, Burt. We love you, but we'll be fine. And you'll see us on the road anyway." Kurt and Blaine climbed up into their seats in the Navigator. Since Kurt had had the catnap while Blaine packed, he would drive until the first time they needed to buy gas, and then they would switch. They'd stop at a hotel for the night somewhere along the way since they were getting a late start and then finish the drive the next day.

Kurt set the GPS to the address of the hotel, waved out the window at his parents, and pointed the car toward the highway. He made the first few turns to get out of town, and finally he reached a longer stretch of road where he wouldn't need to keep an eye on the directions quite so closely for awhile.

Blaine noticed Kurt's hands were extremely shaky, noticeable even though he had the steering wheel in a death grip. "Baby, set the cruise control," Blaine said firmly.

Kurt did so, and Blaine pried Kurt's right hand off the steering wheel. "Kurt, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Blaine. Everything's right. But, if you'll pardon my language, shit just got _real._ We are really doing this! I am excited and thrilled… and _terrified._ We could FAIL, Blaine. What are we going to do if our attempts at making it just completely tank?"

"Kurt, remember that conversation we had in the back of this very vehicle at the Homecoming dance? We said we'd give it a set amount of time, and then we'd re-evaluate. See if we needed to go ahead and get ourselves enrolled in school or whatnot. Whatever happens, we will be in it together. If we have to live in a refrigerator carton in a back alley somewhere… well yeah, that would suck, but I'll have you right there next to me to share body heat with, and as long as we're together, we'll figure something out."

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and held it on top of the console. "Feeling any better?"

"A little. Still nervous as hell, but I feel a little braver by your side. As long as you don't leave me, I'm ready to do this thing."

"You won't be able to get rid of me. I promise. Now," he said, changing the subject. "What shall we do to kill the time while we drive through this incredibly boring part of the country?" They discussed it for a few moments and decided to read The Hunger Games, as neither of them had even started reading it yet, but they were intrigued by the storyline and all the hype the series had gathered. Kurt's tablet had an app on it that would read books out loud, but Blaine had decided that he would read aloud. It kept him awake, and Kurt found the sound of Blaine's voice incredibly comforting.

" _When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping." – The Hunger Games_

Blaine read through the first couple of chapters, and then he had to take a break to rest his voice. After taking a long drink of water to soothe his parched throat, he lowered the back of his seat to a more reclined position and took the opportunity to snooze.

Before long, they had reached their hotel for the evening. Kurt had packed a shared overnight bag for the hotel; he grabbed it from the backseat and slung it over his shoulder, and he and Blaine met Burt and Carole in the lobby.

"Come on, boys," said Burt. "We'll check in, stow our stuff, and then grab a bite to eat. Then we can turn in – you two look about as bushed as I know Carole and I are."

Blaine groaned at the thought of food. On one hand, he was starving. On the other hand, he wasn't sure he had enough energy to chew. _Maybe the restaurant has a good soup du jour…_ he thought.

They sat together at the table and ate their meal slowly. Burt was eager to talk about the New York sports teams; he hated the New York Yankees because everyone but Yankees fans hated the Yankees, so he was eager to try a Mets game sometime in the future. He was pretty set on the Browns for football, but if anyone were to, say, get him Giants tickets for Christmas or anything, he wouldn't object. Kurt added his father's hints to his mental "Great ideas for gifts that we'll probably never be able to afford" list. He hoped they could at some point, though – Blaine would love to go, and if Finn tagged along, that would be a great bonding thing for them. Then he could spend the day shopping with Carole on 5th Avenue with no guilt.

Kurt looked to his side; Blaine was obviously wiped out, but he still had enough energy left to grin cheesily at Kurt. Blaine winked at Kurt and waggled his eyebrows just to tease him.

They finished their food and left as soon as they could after the bill was paid – there would be no lingering over dessert or coffee that evening. All four of them had agreed to share one hotel room that night. There was no point in two as the only thing the room would be used for during this trip was sleeping. They prepared for bed in order of fastest to slowest, so Burt went first, and then Blaine. Blaine tried to snuggle with Kurt in bed while Kurt waited for Carole to finish, but Kurt wouldn't allow it.

"Honey, once you curl up next to me, you don't let me leave. Once I'm done in the bathroom and down for the night, you can koala bear me all you want, but until then I need to stay out of your clutches."

By the time Kurt had finally finished his turn and was ready for bed, Blaine was fast asleep. Carole and Burt were still awake and were waiting to say goodnight. Kurt hadn't given or received bedtime hugs since he was little, but it seemed appropriate that night; Burt looked like he needed it, and Kurt couldn't deny that he wasn't suddenly craving the closeness of his father as well.

Burt patted the middle of the bed between him and Carole.

"Really, Dad?"

"Come on, Kurt. Humor your old man, would you?" Kurt sighed and made his father get up before he scrambled into the bed; he refused to climb over Burt, as at his age, there was no way to do that gracefully.

Burt and Carole both wrapped arms around Kurt's waist until he was tightly squeezed between the two of them. "A little air, here?" Kurt begged.

Carole laughed. "We're sorry, dear. We're just going to miss you so much. I know I've only been around for a few years, but they've been such joyful years that I can hardly remember a time when you weren't my son."

Kurt teared up at the sentiment. "Thank you for being my mom. Some people wouldn't have accepted me, or Blaine, for that matter, with such open arms, but I'm glad Dad found you."

"If I remember right," Burt corrected, "it was you that found her for me."

They all grinned. "This is true," Kurt conceded. "But you did the hard part. You got her to allow you to make her ours."

"That wasn't so hard at all," Carole said sweetly. "You both have made it so easy. And I know Finn is happy, too."

"It's because of you, Kurt, that I have three sons, and not just one," Burt added. "Blaine's fit in so seamlessly. You two are, uh, okay now, right?"

Kurt nodded enthusiastically. "We really are, Dad. As devastating as that incident was, it was only temporary. We seem to be stronger for it, which is good because I don't think our hearts know how to live apart from one another."

At that moment, Blaine groaned and rolled over in his sleep. Carole, Burt, and Kurt all looked over at Blaine and watched him search the bed in his sleep for Kurt, and when he didn't find him, Blaine grabbed pillow and curled up with it. He stayed asleep, but his face morphed into a highly dissatisfied looking frown.

"Speaking of hearts," Burt said, "I think yours is looking for you. You better get over there before his face freezes that way."

Kurt grinned. "Yeah, he's much cuter when he's smiling." Burt got up again to allow Kurt to slide out of the bed. As soon as Kurt was upright, he pulled Kurt into a tight hug, the hug of a man about to send his boys off into the great unknown.

"I love you, Kurt," Burt said, his voice wavering slightly.

"I love you too, Dad." Kurt walked around to Carole's side of the bed and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Love you too, Carole."

"Love you too, sweetheart."

Kurt crawled into bed behind Blaine, and instantly he smiled widely in his sleep and abandoned the pillow Kurt substitute for the real thing. Kurt heard Carole "aww" softly and smiled. Blaine really was adorable in his sleep.

The warmth of Blaine snuggling up against him was enough to make Kurt fall asleep almost instantly, despite the impending excitement of the next day.

  
**xXxXxXx**

The following morning, Kurt woke up to the most delicious feeling against his backside. Some time during the night, they had flipped positions and Blaine's chest was up against his back. Something else of Blaine's was up, too, and it was slowly being thrust against him. Kurt savored the feeling until the realization of where they were and who they were with came rushing back to him.

"Blaine, stop it," he whispered. Blaine must not have heard him because he continued to grind up against him. "Blaine!" he growled, a bit more loudly. "Stop it!" Again, no response. Kurt tried to pull away, but as he knew would happen, Blaine refused to let him go and pulled him closer still. That movement made Blaine's clothed erection slip right down the middle of Kurt's ass.

"Ungh, Blaine!" he whispered loudly and a bit frantically. "Ix-nay, ix-nay! Parental units-pay in the next ed-bay!" Kurt gained enough leverage to firmly shove a startled Blaine nearly off the other side.

"What? What? What'd I do?" Blaine asked, clearly confused.

"You were humping me with my _parents_ in the room!" Kurt hissed. Kurt's words were met with soft giggles coming from the other bed.

"Oh god," Blaine and Kurt groaned in unison.

"Kill me now," Kurt moaned.

"Not before you kill me first," Blaine begged.

"Oh relax, boys. At least I don't have to hear you guys all the time. If I have to hear any more noises coming out of Finn's room – " Carole stage whispered.

"AAAANNNNDDD this conversation is officially OVER," Kurt announced.

"Talk about boner killer," Blaine mumbled.

Carole heard Blaine's comment and sang, "You're WELcome, Blaine!"

They heard a deep, almost barking-sounding snore come from Burt's side of the bed. "Oh thank GOD," Kurt said with relief. "PLEASE tell me he's been deeply asleep this whole time."

"Don't worry, he sleeps almost as deeply as Finn."

"For these small favors, we are truly grateful," said Kurt.

"Why don't you boys get ready in the bathroom first, and then Burt and I will take our turns."

"Okay, that sounds good."

"Do you mind if I come in and use the mirror to shave while you shower, Kurt?"

"Of course not."

They boys grabbed their toiletries and went into the bathroom.

"Not one word, Burt Hummel," Carole addressed the supposedly sleeping lump in the bed next to her. "They're mortified enough."

"I'm not exactly jumping for joy over here either," Burt grumbled.

"They're young, and these things happen. You'd be lying if you said it never happened to you."

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't happening right now," Burt said. Burt pulled his wife close and took advantage of the minutes the boys would be occupied to thoroughly kiss her.

A short time later, Kurt came out of the bathroom and began packing the toiletries he had been using. "Don't stop on my account," he quipped.

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Burt, and kissed Carole once more for emphasis.

"Blaine and I have a favor to ask of you. Well, he'd be asking along with me if he wasn't showering, so I should say, on behalf of Blaine and myself, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Quit nitpickin' and ask, Kurt."

"We were wondering if you and Carole could give us a head start on driving today. Say, about an hour or so?"

"Why's that, son? You and Blaine aren't planning on pulling off the road to have some private time somewhere, are you?"

Kurt blushed deep red. "No, of course not, Dad," he mumbled. "It's not like that. We just… it's our first apartment together. It's the true beginning of our adult lives. We kind of want to be alone for the first moments. Just the two of us. Bask in the glow, if you will."

Carole nodded. "I totally get it. It won't be a problem. Burt and I will just head out for breakfast instead of eating the freebie one here and be leisurely about it."

Burt was a little more apprehensive. "What if you break down or something? It'll be that much longer 'til I can get to you."

"Dad, we're big boys now. We are adults capable of making our own decisions and taking care of difficult situations. We both have a working knowledge of cars, and the Navigator is still covered by Triple A, right?"

Burt nodded, but he still wasn't happy about it. He was already going to be leaving two of his sons behind in New York – he didn't want to let them out of his sight for any more time than was absolutely necessary.

"Burt, you don't have to worry about us," Blaine said as he came out of the bathroom, scrubbing his hair with a towel to dry it. "I take care of him, he takes care of me, we can both take care of the Navigator, and nothing's going to happen, anyway, because you took such good care of us AND the car before we left. This would mean a lot to both of us."

"Boys, don't worry about it," Carole said. "Just go ahead and head out whenever you're ready and we'll meet you there. Text us when you get there and we'll make sure we're an appropriate amount of time behind you."

"Thank you, Carole," Kurt said, offering her a hug, which she jumped out of bed immediately to accept.

Kurt and Blaine quickly dressed and packed their things, Kurt a bit more meticulously than Blaine, and said their goodbyes to Burt and Carole. After tossing their overnight bags into the back seat, they stopped at a gas station to top off the Navigator's tank, replenish their road snacks and get large cups of terrible coffee.

Kurt took a sip of the coffee and shuddered. "Oh, this is bad. This is even worse when Finn tried to make coffee and didn't put a filter in so there were grounds floating in our cups."

Blaine scrunched up his face when he drank out of his cup. "Oh, god, that IS bad. I've had expired instant that was better than this. You think there's a Bureau of Criminally Bad Coffee somewhere out there that that place should be reported to?"

"I don't know," Kurt replied, "but I'm seeing a Starbucks drive-thru a couple blocks from here – do we suffer, or do we splurge on something that won't make us retch?"

"Oh, I'm all for non-retching coffee, please!"

Armed with jumbo cups of palatable caffeine, they set the GPS to the address of their apartment. THEIR. APARTMENT. Kurt nearly shed a tear as he typed in their destination.

"I'm sorry," he said, apologizing for the tears. "I promised myself that I was done crying and done freaking out, but every time we get a little closer to New York, reality pops its head in and says 'I'm almost here, time for you have another meltdown.'"

"It's okay, honey. I'm excited enough for both of us – I will make sure that regardless of how you're feeling on the inside, you will remember this day for what it is: one of the best days in our life together so far."

"Thank you, Blaine. Sheesh, who knew YOU would be the voice of reason today?"

Blaine playfully shoved Kurt. "Shut up, brat."

Blaine took over the driving since Kurt had done so yesterday, and Kurt spent some time just looking out the window. He tried reading some more of The Hunger Games as Blaine had the day before, but he liked the story so much better in Blaine's voice, so he set the e-reader aside and started fiddling with the iPod. Before he and Blaine got together, Kurt had made up a playlist of songs that basically said "I'm in love with him and he doesn't have a clue." He smiled and queued up the playlist just to see what was on there.

"Oh my god, this is _so_ embarrassing!" Kurt exclaimed.

"What is?" Blaine asked, curious as to what it was on the iPod that would make his boyfriend blush.

"I don't know if I want to tell you…"

"Come on, this is me you're talking to, Kurt."

"Oh, all right," he acquiesced. "So… back when we first met and I fell in total like with you and you were _completely_ oblivious to it, I made a playlist. And some of the selections on it are kind of, well, pitiful."

Blaine winced. "Have I ever mentioned how sorry I am about how stupid I was?"

"Only a million times. And I wish you'd shut up about it, honey."

"All right, all right. So, give me some examples of your pitiful-ness."

Kurt scrolled down the list. "Some of these aren't so bad. There's Raindrops by Regina Spektor, My Never by Blue October, I'd Lie by Taylor Swift…"

Blaine giggled at the mention of Taylor Swift. "I didn't figure you'd be the type to like her songs."

Kurt defended his choice, saying, "I choose my music by meaning rather than by artist. I stand by its addition to my play list.

"There's Shiver by Coldplay – "

"Oh, I LOVE that song!"

Kurt was silent for a moment. "There's Your Song by Kate Walsh… that one got a LOT of airtime." He began to sing softly.

_Haven't you heard?  
I'm stuck on a verse  
I'm stuck on a boy  
who fills me with joy  
I knew I was wrong  
to jump straight on into  
this picture so pretty  
But he is so pretty to me_

Blaine's breath hitched. "Th-that's beautiful, Kurt."

Kurt nodded. A moment later, he grimaced at his iPod. "Oh. My. God. I can't believe I put this on here."

"What?"

"No, I'm not going to tell you." Kurt fiddled around with the buttons. "DAMMIT – why can't I delete this?"

Blaine giggled. "Come on, tell me. You know I'll just steal your iPod when you're not looking and figure it out for myself."

Kurt sighed heavily. "Oooooohhh kaaaaaaayyyy. It's _boyfriendbyjustinbieber_ ," he mumbled.

Blaine's eyebrows went up. "Excuse me, I don't think I heard you."

"You ass, you heard me just fine."

"Yeah, but I want to hear it from you again."

"FINE. Boyfriend by Justin Bieber. Are you perfectly happy now?"

With a mischievous look on his face, Blaine began to sing the lyrics.

_If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go  
I can take you places you ain't never been before  
Baby take a chance or you'll never ever know  
I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow_

"Hehehehehe he said 'blow,'" Blaine said, channeling his best Beavis and Butthead impression.

"Blaine Anderson, I swear, if you weren't driving, I'd slap you."

"Yeah, but since I'm driving…"

_Tell me what you like yeah tell me what you don't  
I could be your Buzz Lightyear fly across the globe  
I don't never wanna fight yeah, you already know  
I am 'ma a make you shine bright like you're laying in the snow  
Burr_

"I hate you." Kurt turned his face toward the door and pouted.

Blaine placed his hand on Kurt's knee. "Hey, Kurt, sweetie… I think your playlist is very sweet. Will you play that Kate Walsh one? I've never heard it before.

Kurt obliged him by pressing play on the selection and they sat in silence, soaking up the lyrics.

"That song is amazing. But where you saw it then as unrequited love, I see it now as a love letter."

_And haven't you heard?  
I thought I had first  
And he loves me so  
We're two in a row  
Just look in his eyes  
They're blue as the skies  
a picture so pretty  
but he is so pretty to me_

Kurt was so fixated on Blaine singing to him that he hadn't even noticed Blaine pulling off the highway into a gas station. He didn't think it was odd that Blaine was behind the wheel and singing directly to Kurt, looking straight at him when he sang the line about eyes as blue as the skies. It wasn't until Blaine leaned over the console to kiss him that he noticed anything was amiss.

"Blaine, what about… oh. We're not on the road anymore. When did that happen?"

"A couple of minutes ago. I was desperate to kiss you. Plus it worked out fairly well for the gas tank – we're almost on empty anyway." He leaned over to kiss Kurt's forehead and got out of the vehicle to fill the tank.

Kurt stumbled out of the car and headed inside the station to use the restroom. As much as he was in a love-induced haze – somehow he felt like the past few minutes, despite their simplicity, had been some of the most romantic of his life – he also felt like things got a lot clearer. As uncertain as life was, he was sure about one thing: he and Blaine were solid.

They had a short brunch at the café next door to the restaurant. Their meal was eaten in silence, but they spoke volumes to each other with their faces. There was no need to talk.

Once pottied and fed, they piled back into the Navigator and began the last leg of their journey. They didn't have much farther to go; they had been driving all morning and they had, at best, an hour left. Kurt had tried to get in the driver's seat, but Blaine wouldn't let him. "I'd like to finish the trip, honey. Would you let me?" Kurt wasn't sure why Blaine was insistent upon driving, but he didn't care to argue. Truth be told, his stomach was churning from nerves, excitement, anticipation… and a healthy dose of fear as well.

He settled back into his seat and turned the music back on, though instead of continuing the "pining over Blaine" playlist, he decided to go for something a little more appropriate to the occasion and turned on the RENT soundtrack.

He was instantly immersed in the music and barely heard Blaine when he called Kurt's name a half hour later. "Kurt! KURT! Look out your window now or you're going to miss it!" He finally snapped out of the music-induced trance when Kurt shook his shoulder.

"LOOK!" Blaine said excitedly as he pointed out the window. It was so close Kurt nearly missed it, but there it was.

**WELCOME TO NEW YORK  
** _**The Empire State** _

"Oh Blaine," Kurt said breathily, tears filling his eyes. "We're here?"

"We're here!"

" _We made it…"_ Kurt said in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

"Well believe it! And stop crying, babe. This traffic is a bear, and I can't be reaching over to wipe the tears for you the whole drive."

Kurt nodded and sat up straighter in his seat. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and told himself that those were the last tears he was allowed to shed. He watched his surroundings pass him by as Blaine successfully waded through the traffic and drove them into Astoria where their new home awaited them.

Finally, their street was within view, but as usual for New York, the parking situation was pretty awful. Normally Blaine would be content to park down the street wherever a space could be found, but with a vehicle and a trailer full of household goods and personal belongings, they wanted to park as near as they could to their apartment.

Miraculously, an oversized space (oversized due to someone's inability to park efficiently, thus taking up more space than necessary) opened up a half a block from their front door. "Score!" Blaine cheered.

"Wow, I'm impressed. Hopefully Dad and Carole will find a space more easily once they get here. Oh! Speaking of which, I need to text them and let them know we got here in one piece."

_**Dad & Carole – here safely and managed to snag a parking spot in less than ten minutes – UNREAL! See you in about an hour. Love, Kurt** _

They got out of the car and walked up to their front door. Blaine had called Judy, the rental agent, from the gas station. Simon and Ian were gone by then, unfortunately, so it was Judy's job to pass along the keys to Kurt and Blaine.

"Oh hi boys! Right on time, I see. Wonderful! Unfortunately, I only have enough time to hand you the keys and wish you good luck and a happy life in your new place. I've been upstairs and Simon and Ian left the place in beautiful condition for you. You should be able to move right in without having to worry about cleaning."

Kurt laughed. "Well, I might worry about it – my standards are kind of high – but I appreciate not walking into a pit."

"Oh believe me, Ian's standards are pretty high, too. You might be pleased with what you see. Anyway, I need to get going. I have about twelve places I need to be in the next five minutes. You still have my number – please call me if there's anything you think I could be of assistance with." She hugged both of the boys and scurried on her way down the street, flagging down a cab at the corner.

Blaine turned to Kurt, dangling the keys in his hands. "Shall we?"

"Yes – oh wait! I almost forgot!" Kurt dug in his pocket (Blaine didn't know how – his pants, as usual, were practically painted on) and pulled out a small box. He handed it to Blaine with a huge smile on his face. "I probably shouldn't have spent so much, but I promise I shopped on eBay and got them cheaper than retail. I just… this occasion is so special, so I wanted to get something special to match."

Blaine took the cover off the box and discovered a set of two Sterling silver key rings in the shape of welcome mats. "They're old, so the wrong date is stamped on them," Kurt explained, "but I had to make a few concessions to get the perfect thing for the occasion. The seller had mislabeled them in their listing, so they went dirt cheap. Well, dirt cheap for discontinued Tiffany, that is." Kurt examined the backs of the key rings and handed Blaine one of them. "Flip it over," he urged Blaine.

Blaine did so and found an engraving on the back.

  
_**Home is where our story begins.  
Welcome home, Blaine.  
All my love, Kurt** _

Blaine wiped his eyes. "Crap, and I was holding myself together so well, too. Damn you, Kurt," he said through sniffles. He took a deep breath and smiled at Kurt. "They're beautiful. Thank you, Kurt. So… what does yours say?"

"Nothing, yet." Kurt looked at his feet shyly. "I was kind of hoping you might put something on mine for me."

"Absolutely. You can count on it." Blaine took all the keys off the old, generic keychain and gave Kurt his set – one for the entry door, one for their own door, and one for the mailbox. Once the keys were properly adorned with their new bling, Blaine tried again. "NOW are we ready?"

Kurt held his elbow out to Blaine, who threaded his arm through Kurt's. "Now is good." They climbed up the stairs and each tried to give the other the honors of unlocking the door. It was decided quickly that since Blaine was on the right and so was the lock, he would open it.

"This is so cool!" Kurt said giddily.

Blaine opened the door and held it open for Kurt. "After you, my dear."

Kurt giggled and slid through the opening. "Why thank you, kind sir!"

Just inside the door were the mailboxes. "Oh look!" Kurt said excitedly. "Our names are on the box already!" Sure enough, on the box #401, it said Anderson/Hummel.

"I don't know, I always thought Hummel-Anderson flowed better," mused Kurt.

"We have plenty of time to decide which order sounds better," said Blaine as he snapped a picture of the mailbox door. "Come on! Up the stairs we go!"

Kurt told Blaine that he could precede him up the steps.

"You just want to look at my ass," Blaine said knowingly.

"Well DUH. It's fabulous. It's taking all I have in me to hold onto the handrail instead of your ass."

Blaine shook his butt a little right in Kurt's face before racing up the stairs to the fourth floor.

"Anderson, you TURD!" Kurt shouted just as he ran through the door of the stairwell. He had apparently yelled it louder than he had thought because as he caught Blaine in his arms at the door, he spotted a head peeking out of the door of #404 down the hall. Luckily, the girl who was looking at them was grinning, and she stepped out of her apartment to say hi. She was a tiny brunette, a couple of years older than them, and looked to be the type who would be perky regardless of the time of day.

"Hi! My name is Amy! Are you guys the new tenants?"

Kurt smiled. He liked this girl's enthusiasm already. He stuck out his hand. "Hi – yes, we are. I'm Kurt, and this is my boyfriend Blaine."

"Well damn, there goes my idea to hit on you guys!"

"We DO crush a lot of girls' hearts," bragged Blaine.

"He's modest, isn't he?" Amy asked Kurt.

"Painfully so."

"So, where are you guys from?"

"We're from a small, close-minded town in Ohio."

"Oooh, big culture shock," Amy said. "I'm not gay, but I came from a small town, too, and it's night and day difference. You'll like it here, though. First apartment together?"

"How can you tell?" Kurt wondered.

"Let's see. Aside from the fact that you guys look like you JUST graduated high school," they nodded in confirmation, "I was in the stairwell while you guys were gushing over your mailbox of all things. Only first timers do that."

Kurt and Blaine blushed in embarrassment. They had hoped to play it a little cooler, but they weren't really the play it cool type.

"Aww guys, don't be embarrassed. It was adorable. Hey, you want me to take a picture of you guys in front of your door?"

"Would you? I'm kind of a picture whore."

Amy giggled at Kurt's description of himself. "Well, better a picture whore than a real one!"

Kurt and Blaine stood in front of their door. Kurt made Vanna hands around the number, and Blaine just stood there with a cheesy grin. Amy kept calling out different poses that they should do, and they kept doing them. Blaine's favorite was the John Travolta Stayin' Alive point, and Kurt preferred the piggyback pose.

Finally Amy handed back their camera. "Sorry guys. It's been a trip meeting you and I'd love to hang out with you sometime – we could have a movie night or something – but I've gotta go. I have to work soon and I haven't even taken a shower yet. If you need anything at all, just come and knock on my door. My roommate's a spaz, but somehow I have the feeling you'll probably like her, too. Have fun moving in, boys!"

As soon as the door to Amy's apartment closed, they looked at each other and said, in unison, "I like her!" They looked at each other for a moment, and then Kurt raised his hand with his keys in it, asking a silent question.

"I got the outside door. Please, go ahead," Blaine said softly.

Kurt stared at the keys in his hand and fumbled to select the correct key for the lock. This was it. This was the big moment. It felt like such a huge responsibility. Kurt took a deep breath and slowly turned the key in the lock. It gave a loud "click," which startled Kurt a bit. He looked at Blaine, who was smiling at him. "Go on, open it!" he said, bouncing a bit on his toes.

His hand trembling, Kurt turned the doorknob and felt it give way in his hands. With an encouraging squeeze from Blaine, he opened the door on their brand new lives together and walked inside, hand in hand with Blaine, eager for their new adventure to begin.

**~Fin~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the keychains they got!


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 68 (Epilogue)**

In the living area of a tiny, dumpy apartment in New York City, Blaine was curled up on the comfortable but well worn sofa reading the Entertainment section of the Sunday paper. The upcoming week’s schedule again offered little opportunity for him – open mic nights were pretty limited in the last month. The Help Wanted section was devoid of any music related work, too. He tossed aside the paper, frustrated. If work continued to be this scarce, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

He heard footsteps approaching and looked up expecting to see his boyfriend’s beautiful smile. Well, he saw Kurt, all right, but he was white as a sheet and looked stunned. Something was very wrong.

“Kurt, honey, what’s the... KURT?” Kurt had stopped in the middle of the room where his legs gave out on him and he sank down to his knees on the floor. “Baby, you’re freaking me out here. Is it your dad? Is he okay?”

“I assume so. It’s not about him.”

“Tell me what’s wrong, Kurt.”

“That was Brittany on the phone.”

“Brittany from McKinley?”

“Yeah.”

“Is everything okay with her?”

“She’s pregnant.”

“I take it that’s not a good thing?”

“It depends on how you interpret it.”

“Talk to me, Kurt.”

Kurt took a deep breath. “Brittany and Santana finally got together not long after we left for New York.”

“They weren’t together when we left?” Blaine interrupted. “But I thought they were.”

“No. They were friends with benefits for so long that Santana was just oblivious to Brittany’s growing love for her. And her own growing love for Britt. It was a long time coming, but Santana finally got up the courage to ask Brittany to be her girlfriend rather than just her fuckbuddy.” Kurt paused to collect his thoughts. “Anyway, Brittany had been looking at colleges that wanted her for their dance teams. Most of them were on the coasts, and Santana flipped out. She basically forbade Brittany to go anywhere without her. Brittany was pissed at first, but Santana came out publicly and declared her love for Brittany, and Britt said it right back.

“But their relationship isn’t a healthy one. It’s very volatile. When they love, they love hard, but when they fight, it’s horrible. They’re never physical with each other, but their remarks are biting and hurtful. And LOUD. Their breakups are apparently legendary in Lima – more than once, the police have been called to break up the yelling and fighting. After each breakup, Santana gets very, very depressed. She just sits in their apartment, wallowing. She rarely eats, rarely sleeps, and bathes only when she can’t stand the smell of herself anymore. Brittany, however, copes with sex. She falls into whatever bed she can find, looking for comfort, looking for someone to love her, and never finding it. She’ll usually be gone for a couple of weeks, crashing with whoever will let her in, until Santana calls her and asks her to come back. And she always does. And Brittany always returns. Brittany had been been lucky so far that nothing had happened due to her recklessness, but I guess her luck has finally run out. She doesn’t want this baby. She recognizes that her relationship with Santana is incredibly unhealthy, and while she doesn’t seem to have any sort of desire to get herself out of it once in for all, she does know that she does not want to bring a baby into this situation.”

“That sounds awful, Kurt. I’m trying to figure out how this could possibly be interpreted into a good thing.”

“I haven’t gotten to that part yet. The good part is, Brittany asked us to adopt her baby.”

Blaine let out his breath in a big whoosh. He opened his mouth a couple of times, but no sound would come out.

“Blaine, honey? Are you okay?”

Blaine swallowed the lump in his throat and tried one more time. “Wow,” he croaked. “A baby. That’s… HUGE, Kurt.”

“I know, Blaine, I know.”

“What did you tell Brittany?”

“I told her I’d have to talk to you.”

“So you’re thinking about it.”

“Sometime last year, you were out on a gig, so I took a walk through Central Park. That day, there was a gay couple there pushing a baby through the park in a stroller. It was a beautiful picture. They were totally in love with each other and with that baby. I’ve never seen a couple of prouder parents. That sight woke up some sort of maternal instinct inside me. I never thought I’d be bitten by the baby bug, but I was. I’ve never really said anything because I figured there was no point. Whether we adopted here or internationally, or we got a surrogate, or even found a friend who would be willing use artificial insemination and carry our baby for us, it would cost way more money than we have. And that’s not including the expenses of the baby itself. There’s just no way, Blaine.

“But this – this is a baby that is already on its way. We won’t have to scrounge up tens of thousands of dollars to create or adopt this baby. The baby is coming, and it needs a family. And I WANT to be that family. God, Blaine, I want this so much. My entire soul is BEGGING me to make this happen.”

Blaine sat, deep in thought. His complete silence worried Kurt.

“Blaine? Do you have anything to say?”

Blaine looked up at Kurt slowly.

“Kurt, honey, we have nothing to offer a baby. Look at this place – it’s a dump. But it’s all we can afford. And then only barely. We can’t raise a baby here. Some people would try, but I wouldn’t want that for a child. A child needs a clean place to run around and play and not worry about whether or not the floor will crumble underneath him. And what about money, Kurt? I can’t find ANYTHING. Just before you walked in the room, I had just finished looking through the paper and again, there is nothing for me. I could sell my songs, but they’re almost like my own children. They are mine and a part of me and I just couldn’t do it. And before you get the wrong idea, I want you to know that I appreciate every penny you’ve brought in, but honey, what you make can’t support a baby either. Waiting tables part time just doesn’t cut it. Maybe if you were working full time at one of those places where people with endless pockets frequented, but a tiny diner’s wages won’t buy diapers for very long. And – “

“Blaine? Can I please have a moment to weigh in?”

“Yes Kurt, go ahead.”

“We could move back to Lima.”

“But Kurt, we’re here in New York for you. Back in high school, we had this long discussion about how you needed to be here to make it big on Broadway,” Blaine protested.

“Blaine, look at us. We’ve been here going on six years. Does it look like I’ve made it big on Broadway?”

“Well, you’ve been trying so hard…”

“Yes, and it hasn’t worked. Blaine, I’m tired,” Kurt sighed. “I still dream of being on Broadway, but let’s face it. Singing with the New Directions in New York at Nationals was the closest I’ve come. It’s not my reality anymore.”

Kurt sniffled and went on. “My dad has always offered me a partnership with him in the tire shop. I never took it because I figured I’d be here performing every night on stage instead of stuck in a shitty apartment waiting greasy tables for next to no money. The ONLY part I love about my life right now is you. You’re the sun in my otherwise cloudy sky. But if we go home and I team up with my dad, we could afford to find a small house with a yard. We’d have grandparents and friends nearby to give us a break every once in awhile. We’d be away from the crime and the noise and… and Blaine?”

Kurt looked up at Blaine with tears streaming down his face. “B-Blaine, I w-want this so b-b-bad,” he stammered. He took a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm himself. His voice shook with emotion. “I want to be a daddy. I want to be a daddy with YOU. I can’t do this without you. PLEASE tell me you want it too. Please…” he trailed off as the tears took over.

Blaine sat back and put his head in his hands. He hated to do it, but he had to block Kurt from his view because he couldn’t concentrate if he could see the utterly devastating look on Kurt’s face. If it was one thing he couldn’t handle, it was Kurt’s tears.

Blaine had never really thought about being a father. He thought it might be something they’d think about somewhere down the road, but not this soon, and not this unexpectedly. They were only 24 years old. Blaine didn’t feel as if they had really lived yet. They were struggling so much that they barely had any money to eat, let alone actually leave the house for anything non-work related. They hadn’t even so much as seen a movie in a theater in years. And he would NEVER say this to Kurt because of the guilt he would surely feel for keeping Blaine there, but… he HATED New York. He would have been on board with the idea of moving back to Lima even if there wasn’t a baby. He wanted to go back, have family and friends around, and have a little breathing room.

But a baby? Wow. He had to admit, the idea did appeal to him. And he did have the world’s best partner to raise a child with. He had absolutely NO doubt in his mind that Kurt would surpass even Burt Hummel when it came to being an amazing father, and Burt Hummel was tops on Blaine’s list for the World’s Best Dad honors.

“Kurt, baby? I do have one question for you.”

“What’s that?” Kurt mumbled, head bowed as he was fussing with a lone piece of fuzz on his pants.

“Did Brittany say when our son or daughter would be born?”

Kurt’s head whipped up and he stared disbelievingly at Blaine.

“Blaine?” Kurt wasn’t asking him a question, he was requesting confirmation.

“Yes, baby,” Blaine said with a grin.

The biggest smile Blaine had ever seen tore its way across Kurt’s face. Blaine could have cried just looking at him, it was so beautiful. He liked knowing that he helped make his love so happy. Kurt jumped up and threw himself into Blaine’s arms. Blaine was lucky he was standing near a wall or Kurt would have knocked them both over. Not that he would have cared.

“Oh Blaine, I’m going to be a daddy!”

“Yep, you’re going to be a daddy.”

“And you’re going to be a daddy too!”

“Yes Kurt, I will be a daddy too.”

Kurt peppered Blaine’s face with kisses. Well, more accurately, he was just pressing his lips to his face because Kurt couldn’t drag the humongous grin off his face long enough to be able to pucker properly to call it kissing. He pulled back for a moment and said to Blaine, “Honey, please look directly into my eyes, and don’t move, okay?”

Confused, Blaine did as Kurt asked.

Kurt stared him down, and then nodded his head in a satisfied manner.

“What was that all about?”

“I am very good at reading people, Blaine, and I HAD to see if there was anything you weren’t saying to me. I was looking for any signs you were just telling me what I wanted to hear, but God, all I saw was sincerity in your eyes and I think I’m going to bawl again, oh Blaine, thank you. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Kurt. Anything. And just in case you’re worried, don’t be. I didn’t know until I thought about it, but I want this, too. That baby’s gonna have the best pair of daddies ever.”

“I love you so much, Blaine.”

“And I love you, Kurt. _Para siempre._ ”

“ _Para siempre,”_ Kurt whispered back.

**xXxXxXx**

“Dad, we’re coming home.”

“That’s great Kurt! We’ll all be so happy to see you. When will you be here? How long can you stay?”

“Well, we’re coming as soon as we can square things away here. And we’re not just coming for a visit. We’re staying for good.”

“For good? But why, Kurt? Are you breaking up with Blaine? No wait, you’ve said we a bunch of times, so unless there is someone else in your life, I assume you still mean Blaine.”

“Of course I’m still with Blaine, Dad!”

“Thank God, I love that boy.”

“Believe me, so do I. We actually have some news, and it’s the reason we’re coming back to Lima.”

“Are you boys getting married?”

“Well, no. Not yet, anyway.”

“So what’s this news, then?”

“I was kind of hoping we could tell you in person.”

“You don’t know when that will be, though?”

“No, sorry Dad, not yet.”

“Well, then tell me now – I’m getting impatient in my old age.”

“Oh Dad, you’re not old. You’re just experienced. Hang on, let me get Blaine on the phone with me. He would absolutely kill me if I told you without him, and he needs me, so that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Kurt walked into the bedroom where Blaine was sorting some of his belongings into boxes. They didn’t own much, but they wanted to be totally ready to just load up the boxes and go the moment things were settled in New York. “Hey sweetie, we’re going to tell my dad our news. Can I steal you away from this for a few moments?”

“Ugh, hell yes. No matter how little stuff you have, packing still sucks. Hey Burt,” Blaine said into the phone. “How are you?”

“Thrilled to death that you boys are coming home, and curious as hell as to why. Care to enlighten me?”

“Dad,” Kurt began, “we are going to be parents.”

“Did I hear you right? Parents? As in, raising a child?”

“Yes, Dad, parents,” said Kurt, feeling the pride taking over his voice. “Isn’t it amazing?”

“But… but HOW? I mean, you need one of each to make a baby, and you guys kinda have two of one and none of the other.”

Kurt and Blaine both cracked up. “Dad, you’re a trip. There are, of course, ways of getting a baby other than the do-it-yourself method, but it turns out that this opportunity was just kind of dropped into our laps. And knowing that other ways of becoming parents are long, drawn out, costly processes, we jumped on it. We’re still younger than I figured we’d be when we became parents, but we just can’t say no.

“Remember Brittany from Glee club, Dad?”

“Is that that dippy blonde I walked in on you making out with that one time?”

Blaine’s head whipped around to look at Kurt. He had a very confused and questioning look on his face. Kurt mouthed “Later!” to him and confirmed with Burt that yes, that was Brittany.

“She’s pregnant, Dad. And she can’t keep the baby. Her home situation is not good, so she decided to give the baby up. There are THOUSANDS of couples out there that would love a baby. But she thought of us, the dorky little gay couple from high school who would never be parents without help. And I am touched to the point of tears every time I even think about it. In fact, excuse me,” his voice broke and he ran for the box of tissues.

Blaine took over the phone call. “We are both overwhelmed with emotion and overjoyed at the twist of fate that is bringing this child to us. I can hardly believe it’s real. But it is. It’s happening. And I am oddly calm about it. I think it’s because I know Kurt’s going to be such an amazing dad, thanks to having such an incredible example.”

“You don’t have to suck up to me, Blaine. You know I’ve always liked you,” said Burt.

“It’s not sucking up if I mean it sincerely.”

“Thanks kid. And congratulations. I mean it. I’m still too young to be a grandpa, but I’m excited that you boys are moving here so I can be a part of all this. Why _are_ you moving here, by the way?”

By this time, Kurt had calmed down and dried his tears, and he rejoined the conversation.

“Dad, you haven’t been out here since Blaine lost his job and we had to move into the cheaper apartment. Our place is just barely not a slum. Neither of us can find a job that pays much better than minimum wage. And everything in New York is insanely expensive. We can barely keep ourselves in mac and cheese – we couldn’t possibly raise a child here. At least in Lima we’d have a chance to have a nice place, maybe with a yard, and a good job.”

“You know you can always join me at the tire shop, Kurt. I never could trust the guy who does my inventory.”

Kurt smiled. He knew Burt did his own inventory. “Thanks Dad, I was hoping that would still be an option. If you know of anyone who has work for Blaine to do, please let me know. We haven’t worked anything out yet, but if I’m working with you at the shop, chances are he’ll be the primary caregiver for our child. So he would need either temporary or very flexible work.”

“I’ll keep my ears open. A lot of people in Lima come through this place, so I hear things.”

“Is it okay if we stay with you and Carole until we get settled with our own place?”

“Absolutely. Stay as long as you need. Kurt? I’m really excited for you. And I am excited for you boys to come back. I’ve missed you both so much.”

“We’ve missed you too, Dad. I’ve got to go. I will call you when we know more, okay?”

“Please do. Congratulations, both of you. I love you.

“Love you too,” Kurt and Blaine said together. Kurt hung up the phone.

“Everything is starting to come together, Blaine,” said Kurt, smiling.

**xXxXxXx**

“Okay Brittany, this will be your room for as long as you stay with us.” Kurt showed Brittany his old basement bedroom in his father’s home. He and Blaine had yet to find their own place, but they were still looking. There were plenty of houses that were “good enough,” but Kurt was hoping to hold out long enough to find “the” house. He would have to search quickly. He wanted to be in their home by the time the baby arrived, and with Brittany already four months pregnant, time was limited.

“Thanks for letting me stay with you guys, Kurt. I didn’t really have anywhere else to go unless I went back to Santana’s, and I didn’t really want to do that. I still love her, but she’s not going to take this well,” she said, gesturing down at her belly.

“You know you have a home here as long as you need it, Britt.”

“Thanks, Kurt, but I don’t want to impose for too long. I appreciate staying here until the baby is born, but I should probably find a new place afterward. I don’t think I’ll be able to give up the baby and still live around it.”

“I’m probably out of line by saying this, but I have an idea of where you could go. Artie’s still in Lima, and he lives alone. His parents moved to Florida and just gave him their house since it was already handicapped accessible. He’s been looking for renters – he’s lonely in that big house all by himself.”

“He called me stupid, though. He’s the one person I never thought would call me stupid. And he did. It hurt so much more because it was him.”

“Brittany, he was trying to get you to see that Santana was bad for you. And how many bad things has she called you? Yes, he was guilty of a horrible choice of words, but he never, ever meant to hurt you. He still regrets losing you, Britt.”

“I see your point. But I’m not ready to get back into another relationship.” She sighed.

“I’m not suggesting you do. What I’m suggesting is that you consider getting together with Artie for coffee or something, let him apologize to you, and then seeing if you can rebuild your friendship. You don’t have to be dating to live together as friends and roommates, and even though I have no say in the matter, I’d feel better if you weren’t living alone.”

“Thanks, Kurt. I’ll think about it. I have some time. He and I did have some fun together.”

“Artie’s always been a great guy who has a few typical guy foot-in-mouth moments here and there.”

“How would Artie get his foot in his mouth? He’s paralyzed. His feet won’t move. And why would he want to put his foot in his mouth in the first place? That’s gross.”

Kurt snorted, “Ahh Britt, we love you.”

“Hi Kurt, hi Brittany!” Blaine greeted them, kissing Kurt lightly on the lips as he did so. “What’s up?”

“Just showing Brittany where she’s going to be staying while she’s living with us.”

Brittany had taken notice of Blaine. “Boy, Blaine Warbler, you’ve gotten even better looking since high school. You wanna make out?”

“Um, no Brittany. Still taken by Kurt. Still not going to make out with anyone but Kurt.”

“Brittany! Are you STILL flirtin’ with my man??”

“Oops, I did it again.” Embarrassed, she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

**xXxXxXx**

“Jeez, Kurt, did you buy anything that ISN’T pink? It looks like a bubble gum factory blew up in here.” Blaine stood in the doorway watching Kurt as he sorted through a sea of baby clothes and linens. The baby would be arriving soon and Kurt was panicking because he still wasn’t ready.

“It’s not ALL pink,” Kurt protested. He tossed a few items in front of Blaine. “This one is raspberry, this one is salmon, this one is blush, this one is coral…”

“News flash, Kurt Hummel. Those are all different shades of PINK.”

Kurt huffed. “What am I going to do with you? I don’t know how you can call yourself gay if you can’t tell the difference between pink and magenta.”

“Isn’t Magenta that dog with the glasses on Blue’s Clues? That Joe guy is kinda hot.”

Kurt threw a pair of fuchsia (yes, fuchsia, NOT pink) baby booties at Blaine. “If all you’re going to do is irritate me, you can haul your gorgeous little ass right on out of here and be irritating somewhere else.”

Blaine entered the room that would be the nursery and plopped down on the floor next to Kurt. “Awww, my Kurtsie’s nesting.”

“Shut up, Blaine, I don’t have the patience for your attitude today…”

“I think it’s adorable, my love. But sweetheart, RELAX a bit. I know you want everything to be perfect, but the baby won’t know if every burp cloth is folded precisely into threes. She won’t know if you missed pressing a tiny wrinkle out of the dress she’ll wear home from the hospital. All she’ll know is that she has two daddies that love her, and each other, more than anything else in the world. Please just chill out some, okay? This is supposed to be exciting! And it’s going to be stressful, yes, but that’s supposed to be after the birth. If you’re already popping Prilosec now, you’re going to develop an ulcer and be worthless to me and the baby by the time she gets here, and I can’t have that. I need you here 100%, okay?”

Kurt scooted closer to Blaine and leaned up against him. Blaine responded by sneaking an arm around his waist and squeezing Kurt tight. “There’s my Kurt. Now, tell me what’s got you all befuddled? Maybe I can help?”

“I think what’s wrong is a distinct lack of love making. Which is all my fault because I have a perfectly amazing scorching hot man next to me in bed every night, and I haven’t been taking advantage of him like I should.” Kurt gently placed his hand on Blaine’s cheek and looked straight into Blaine’s golden brown eyes. ”You think he knows how beautiful I think he is? Or how much I admire him for putting up with my mad mood swings? Or how much I worship the ground he walks on and thank my lucky stars every day for bringing him into my life?” his voice trailed off to a barely audible whisper.

“I think he knows every bit of that. And I think he thinks you’re crazy if you think he doesn’t know it, or feel the same way.”

“I’m not crazy,” Kurt breathed.

“I know,” Blaine replied lovingly. He took a brief moment to stare at the eighth wonder of the world that was Kurt and leaned in to press his lips upon Kurt’s. Kurt responded hungrily. Their dry spell had been all his fault, he knew, but he was going to do every damn thing he could do to remedy that immediately.

“Ungh, Blaine, not in here. I love you everywhere, but not in a pile of our daughter’s clothes in her own room. That’s just weird.” Kurt shuddered slightly at the mental picture.

“That’s okay, babe. Our bed is plenty comfy and really close by. Come on,” Blaine urged as he hopped to his feet and practically dragged Kurt into the other room.

Blaine had tossed Kurt onto his back on the bed and was just about to help Kurt out of his clothes when there was a knock on the door. Both men groaned.

“If this is about Lord Tubbington’s alien probe encounter again, Brittany, go away. I don’t care if we DO need to make everyone little tin foil hats,” Kurt yelled, quite frustrated by now. Brittany’s pregnancy dreams had taken a turn for the strange…r.

‘Guys, I woke up and my bed was all wet, and now my stomach and my back are killing me. I think the baby’s coming.”

**xXxXxXx**

“C’mon, Britt Britt, you can do this. Just one more reeeallly big push and this little girl will make her grand entrance,” Kurt coached. Brittany’s strength and energy were clearly waning.

Blaine stood off to the side just observing. He really didn’t feel like he belonged there. The room was all a whirl of Brittany’s cries of pain, Kurt’s encouraging words, nurses preparing their stations to clean and examine the baby, and equipment monitoring both Brittany and the baby. It didn’t seem like there was a place for him. He stood for a few moments, totally oblivious to a loud cry and an extra rush of activity in the room.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. “Mr. Anderson?” Startled, he shook his head to clear the cobwebs that had formed in the last few minutes and turned to see who the voice belonged to. A petite female nurse had a small bundle in her arms. “Meet your daughter.”

Blaine looked down at the swaddled infant in her arms. She was already asleep. _I guess getting born is hard work,_ he thought. “Is… is everything o-okay?” he stuttered.

The nurse grinned. “She’s just fine. Six pounds, five ounces, all ten fingers and ten toes, and absolutely beautiful. Here, you take her. She needs her daddy to hold her.”

Blaine was internally just about to freak out. “I c-can’t. I’ll break her.”

“No you won’t. All new fathers say that, and nobody ever breaks their child. If you’re concerned, go ahead and sit down before you take her, but you will not hurt her and she’ll be fine.”

Blaine immediately sank down into the nearest chair. Taking a few deep breaths, he manned up and nodded at the nurse. “Okay, I’m ready now.”

“The most important thing is to support her head because she can’t hold it up on her own right now. She needs you do to that for her.” Blaine nodded once and held out his arms.

Kurt remained on the other side of the room with Brittany. He was holding her hand while she slept, exhausted from the delivery, but he was alert. He was waiting for the moment when Blaine would first truly _look_ at their daughter. He knew that Blaine was nervous and somewhat scared to be a parent. He really had no contact with babies or any idea how to care for them. Kurt wasn’t much more experienced, but he had some odd maternal instinct deep within him, so he knew he’d be able to figure it out.

Blaine, though, Kurt wasn’t as sure of. So he watched, and waited. The nurse put the baby girl in Blaine’s arms, and he held her close. With a deep breath, he looked down, and his face morphed from terrified to infatuated. It was then that Kurt knew he had witnessed the exact moment Blaine fell in love with their daughter.

**xXxXxXx**

_Kurt Hummel_

_and_

_Blaine Anderson_

_are proud to announce the arrival_

_of their daughter_

_Meredith Susan Hummel-Anderson_

_on September 2 nd 2018_

_9:52am_

_6lb 5oz, 18in long_

**xXxXxXx**

One morning, approximately two months after Meredith was born, Blaine rolled over in bed expecting to find a warm body. Instead, all he found was cold sheets. Blaine sighed – this had been happening more and more lately. The tire shop was doing well and Kurt had taken to helping his father with the cars in addition to keeping the office running smoothly, but this meant that Kurt was spending more time away from home. And the time he did spend at home was usually all about Meri. Blaine could understand that. She seemed to be growing hourly, and Kurt was concerned that he was already missing too much. However, this made for very little time for Kurt and Blaine to spend together.

Blaine did his best to be the doting supportive boyfriend, but his patience was beginning to wear thin. It wasn’t even about the sex anymore, though he had to admit, he was really missing that, too. No, it was more that he just didn’t ever see Kurt without the baby attached to his hip anymore. Blaine loved Kurt the daddy, but he missed, and CRAVED, Kurt the love of his life.

Blaine pulled himself out of bed and dragged himself into the tiny nursery where their daughter was waiting for him. When they first found this house, he had thought that this odd little room off the master bedroom, which was no more than a really big closet or a really tiny bedroom, would be worthless, but Kurt insisted it would be absolutely perfect as a nursery. And it was. All they really needed was space for a crib and a dresser/changing table. Even though there was an overabundance of clothing for the baby thanks to the fashionista himself, her clothes were so tiny they all fit in the dresser. By the time her clothes were large enough to overflow the dresser, she would be big enough to move into her own room down the hall.

“Good morning my darling baby girl, how are you this morning?”

Her eyes filled with tears and she began to cry.

“I know, sweetie, I was expecting your daddy Kurt too. But it’s just you and me kid.”

Blaine moved Meredith to the changing table and began to change her diaper and dress her for the day. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a crisp white envelope with his name on it. Of course, because it was from Kurt, it was decorated in hearts and flowers and was actually a mini work of art.

“Check it out, Meri-babe. When your daddy Kurt does something, he goes all out. This is pretty neat, huh?” He carefully lifted the flap of the envelope and pulled out a perfectly creased page of stationery.

**_My Dearest Blaine_ **

**_I apologize for not being there when you woke this morning. I left the house early to take care of a couple of things. I promise I will explain later. In the mean time, can you please pack yourself and Meri overnight bags and meet me at Dad and Carole’s at 3pm today?_ **

**_I love you,_ **

**_Kurt_ **

“Uh oh, Meri. What do you think daddy Kurt is up to today?” She cooed. “Yeah, I don’t know either. But knowing him, it’ll be over the top. He doesn’t do anything half way.”

He pulled out Meri’s suitcase and packed it with the rest of a pack of diapers and about five complete outfits plus pajamas. Kurt said overnight, but this was a two month old baby. They had disgusting things spewing out of orifices Blaine wasn’t aware babies had. Hell, five may not even be enough.

“All right, baby girl. You’ve got breakfast to drink, and I’ve got copious quantities of caffeine to consume.”

They went down to the kitchen, and Blaine was surprised to find several bottles already made up and waiting in the fridge. _Kurt must have gotten up really early today to have this much extra time._ Blaine set about warming one for Meri’s breakfast, and started pulling out the coffee and filters to make his own liquid breakfast. Sensing a theme, the coffee maker was loaded and ready to go – all Blaine had to do was press the Brew button.

Once Blaine fed Meredith and downed enough coffee to give an elephant the jitters, he brought Meri upstairs. He loaded up a Baby Einstein video in the DVD player in his and Kurt’s room and placed her in a safe place to watch. He had to be careful – the bright colors and soft classical music had been enough to put him to sleep on several occasions now. He had things to do today so it was important to stay awake. Meri, on the other hand, was more than welcome to conk out.

Blaine looked in the closet for his overnight bag but was unable to find it. Having a sneaking suspicion he knew what happened to it, he found it on the floor, partially packed with Kurt’s own things. He riffled through the clothing Kurt had packed and found… the briefest pair of briefs he had ever seen. _Holy crap, are these for MY benefit??_ he wondered. _Please oh please be for my benefit,_ he begged to no one in particular. But then, after thinking about it for a moment, he wondered if there was a specific reason for whatever little treat Kurt had planned. He pulled out his phone. November 5 th. Mentally running through all their various important dates in his head, he found nothing even remotely near that date and breathed a sigh of relief. Still, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a small gift for Kurt on our way to Burt and Carole’s today…

He added his own items to the bag, and after killing some time by doing laundry and attempting (but failing) to work on the song he was writing, he packed up the car and loaded the baby into the back seat. As an afterthought, he tossed his guitar in the trunk. Kurt always did love it when he played for him.

When he got to Burt and Carole’s, he noticed that Kurt was already there waiting for them. “There’s my baby girl!” he said, reaching for Meredith. “And there’s my sexy baby,” he said, dropping his voice an octave. He gave Blaine a quick smooch on the lips and turned to go inside. Blaine sighed, and with his arms now empty, he trudged back to the car to unload the baby gear. He had half his body inside the trunk, reaching to the way back for the playpen when Kurt startled him by calling “Hi Blaine!” He slammed his head on the inside of the trunk and yelled, “FUCK that hurts!” The tears of pain streamed down his face almost instantly. He backed up and pulled his upper body out of the car. Kurt was right there to check on him.

“Oh my God, honey, I’m so sorry,” Kurt apologized profusely, his eyes almost as teary as Blaine’s at that point. Without a word, Blaine turned to rest his head on Kurt’s shoulder and continued to cry. This was no longer about hitting his head.

“Blaine, sweetie, are you okay?” Blaine didn’t say a word. Instead he just shook his head into Kurt’s shoulder. “Come on, hon. Let’s go inside and get comfortable and have us a talk, okay?” Blaine nodded.

They went inside the house and Kurt asked Burt and Carole to watch Meri and unload her things from Blaine’s car. Kurt led Blaine to his old room and sat them both down on the bed.

“Okay, Blaine Anderson, time to spill what’s on your mind.”

Blaine looked up at Kurt, tears shining in his eyes. “Do you still love me, Kurt?”

Kurt gasped. What could possibly have happened to make this amazing man doubt his feelings for him? “Of course I do, Blaine! Did I do something to make you think otherwise?”

“I just feel so detached from us lately, Kurt. I know you’re trying to make the best life you can for all three of us, and I’m thankful for everything you do. But, it seems like with you doing everything for your dad and then coming home to Meredith, it doesn’t leave a lot of Kurt and Blaine time, and I miss you so much. I try not to complain because Meri is little and she’s going to grow up quicker than an instant and you work so you miss things during the day. But for more than seven years, it was just us. We haven’t worked us and our relationship together back into our dynamic yet. I need _us_ back.”

Kurt leaned back on the bed. “Wow, I really am clueless. I knew we weren’t getting a whole lot of private time together. But I honestly didn’t realize how badly it was affecting you, and for that I am so sorry, Blaine.”

“And I’m sorry for being so insecure. I know it hurts you when I doubt us. I try not to do it, but my insecurity is as much a part of me as my height or my singing voice.”

“If you ever, ever feel like I am neglecting you again, PLEASE speak up immediately and demand time together. As long as it doesn’t affect any of Meri’s immediate needs, we’ll stop and do something together. Okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Kurt. I am again reminded why I love you.”

“Why’s that?” he asked with a grin.

“Because you put up with my sorry ass and don’t run screaming!”

“There is that!” Kurt laughed. “Okay, so as you may have guessed, we’re going away this weekend. ALONE. Are we about ready to go?”

“Sure, babe, what’s on the agenda?”

“I really don’t know. I was just looking forward to being with you. Anything you want to do, as long as it’s with me, is what I want to do, too.”

“Well, I think today I’d like to just go grab some coffee at the Lima Bean and sit and relax with it. It has been so long since I’ve gotten a chance to sip on a coffee, TASTE it rather than use it as a caffeine delivery system, and maybe even finish it while it’s still hot.”

“It’s really kind of sad that tasting your coffee on the way down is a luxury, but I totally hear you, and it sounds wonderful.”

They pulled into the parking lot and went inside. “Kurt, Blaine!” called a young barista named Maddie. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!”

Blaine laughed softly. “Yeah, when you have a new baby at home, coffee from a coffee shop is a rare treat. I don’t even have enough time to grab a handful of grounds to suck on, let alone brew a whole cup. Kurt, while I’m thinking about it, I really want a coffee maker with a timer.”

“You got it, honey. Maddie, I’ll have a grand –“

“A grande low-fat mocha, and Blaine will have a medium drip. Is that still the standard coffee order?”

Kurt grinned. “Man, we were boring even then, weren’t we?”

“Well, yes, but at least it made it easier to start making your drinks as soon as we saw your car pull up.”

“And we appreciate it,” Blaine said. “Kurt, babe, I’m going to go use the restroom. Mind grabbing my drink for me when it’s up?”

“You know I never do,” Kurt replied, and Blaine made his way to the back of the shop.

“Phew – I was hoping I’d be able to get away from him for a bit,” Kurt whispered to Maddie. “Is everything all set up?”

“Yep, sure is. I’m going to pretend to go on break as soon as you and Blaine sit down. Where will you be?” Kurt pointed toward their usual table, which thankfully was easy to see from the cash register. “Okay, great. I should have known it’d be the same table you’ve always sat at. So, the signal will be you stretching?”

“You got it! Listen, thanks so much for doing this for me today.”

“It is an honor to be able to help.”

“Oh, I never did ask, this IS okay with the boss, right?”

“Yep, she’s totally okay with it.”

“Great. We’ve had an… incident… in the past, and this time around I can’t afford for it to be screwed up.”

“I’d tell you good luck, but you don’t need it.”

“Thanks just the same. Oooh, here he comes.”

“And here are your drinks. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Thanks again, Maddie! We’ll try not to be strangers!”

Blaine returned to Kurt’s side and grabbed his drink. “Thanks baby. Mmmm,” he moaned as he took a sip.  “It is so nice not to be drinking shitty coffee.”

“Hey!” Kurt protested, pretending to be offended.

Blaine gave Kurt a quick peck on the lips. “Sorry sweetie, but cold coffee is just nasty. The fact that it’s shitty by the time I get to it isn’t your fault.”

As they sat down and got situated at their favorite table, the jitters finally began to kick in for Kurt. He patted his pocket to make sure everything was still there.

Blaine plopped down in his chair and kicked his feet up on the empty chair next to him. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “It feels so good to just sit here and not have to listen for baby cries.”

Kurt took advantage of the fact that Blaine wasn’t paying attention to give the signal to Maddie. She nodded once and turned to the sound system. The previous song was just ending so she was able to begin the track that Kurt had provided to her right away.

Blaine smiled as he heard the opening guitar notes, still kicked back with eyes closed. “I love this song,” he said.

Kurt quickly and carefully sat down on the tabletop right in front of Blaine.

_Forever can never be long enough for me  
Feel like I've had long enough with you   
Forget the world now we won't let them see   
But there's one thing left to do _

Blaine’s eyes had slowly opened and his mouth dropped open in wonder as Kurt began to sing and he recognized Kurt’s voice. He went to speak, but Kurt lifted a single finger to his lips to shush him. _  
  
Now that the weight has lifted  
Love has surely shifted my way   
Marry Me   
Today and every day   
Marry Me   
If I ever get the nerve to say   
Hello in this cafe   
Say you will   
Mm-hmm   
Say you will   
Mm-hmm _

Kurt took a chance and looked into Blaine’s eyes before he went onto the next verse. He relaxed when he recognized Blaine’s expression. He had seen it for the first time when he sang Blackbird for the Warblers when Pavarotti died. It was the look of pure love. Kurt’s heart melted when he saw it, and it gave him the courage to continue. _  
  
Together can never be close enough for me  
Feel like I am close enough to you   
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love   
And you're beautiful   
Now that the wait is over   
And love and has finally shown him my way   
Marry me   
Today and every day   
Marry me   
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe   
Say you will   
Mm-hmm   
Say you will   
Mm-hmm _

The coffee shop had gone silent as the patrons watched Kurt serenade Blaine. Even the baristas had stopped making drinks, and the customers in line appeared to be happy to wait a couple more minutes to see what would happen next. _  
  
Promise me  
You'll always be   
Happy by my side   
I promise to   
Sing to you   
When all the music dies _

_And marry me  
Today and everyday   
Marry me   
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe   
Say you will   
Mm-hmm   
Say you will   
Marry me   
Mm-hmm_

Kurt sank down to one knee as he finished the song. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the ring he had stashed there earlier. He took Blaine’s hand and took a deep breath.

“Blaine, I wanted to come up with a pretty speech that would blow your socks off, but then I realized, I love your socks. You wear neon pink socks with dress clothes, and green and black diamond socks with purple pants, brown saddle shoes and your hot pink sunglasses and you couldn’t care less what others think about it. But you do it so that no matter how you’re dressed, everyone will know that it’s still you inside the fancy trappings. I love how you will be performing a song and screw up the lyrics and you’re like, yep, that is the magic that is me, take it or leave it. I love how you always take the opportunity to get silly, but you can switch off that silliness in a moment to become serious if needed. I love that you are willing to sacrifice your own happiness just so that someone you love can have a bit of their own. I love how your eyes light up whenever you see Meri…and whenever you see me. I love you with all my heart and with all that I am, Blaine Anderson, and for some reason which I am extremely grateful for, I know that you love me that way right back. Would you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my husband and my official partner in life?”

Tears streaming down his face and a heart-stopping grin on his face, Blaine said in a wobbly voice, “Kurt, I thought you’d never ask!”

“Sooooo… I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Yes, Kurt, I will marry you. I can’t think of anything else in this world that would make me happier.”

Smiling ear to ear, Kurt placed a beautiful yellow gold band with the Claddagh hands and heart in white gold on Blaine’s ring finger. Always thinking, he purchased something that was coordinating, but different, so that their own rings reflected their own personalities. It was a perfect fit, but then, Kurt picked it out – he was good at little details like that.

“Kurt, give me your right hand, please.” He held out his hand and Blaine removed from Kurt’s ring finger the Claddagh ring that he had given Kurt all those years ago. He still wore it every single day without fail. Blaine gently set down Kurt’s right hand and gestured for his left. He placed it back on Kurt’s left ring finger, pointing out, to signify engagement. “Very soon, this ring will be in the final position, on this hand pointing inward, and it won’t ever have to go anywhere else again.”

Blaine pulled Kurt up into his lap and they began to kiss, and they were startled as the patrons in the café began to cheer and applaud. Kurt and Blaine were somewhat surprised at the entirely positive reaction, but apparently Lima had gotten a little more open minded while they were in New York. Blaine hung his head and blushed from the attention.

“Kurt, as much as this place is now one of my most favorite places EVER, I don’t want to be here anymore. I hope you have somewhere for us to retreat to planned.”

“I do, Blaine.”

“Save that line for later, babe – I hope we’ll get to say it to each other very soon.”

“I love you, Blaine.”

“I love you too, Kurt.”

Blaine looked down at his new ring on his finger.

Kurt smiled softly. “Sure beats a lousy trophy, doesn’t it?”

 

**xXxXxXx**

_Meredith Susan Hummel-Anderson_

_is proud to announce the marriage_

_of her fathers_

_Kurt Hummel_

_and_

_Blaine Anderson_

_on January 1 st, 2019_

_12:01am_

_A New Year, A New Life_

_It’s about time, Daddies. Love, Meri_

**xXxXxXx**

 

****


	69. Chapter 69

I just wanted to say a quick few thanks to everyone who has stuck with me throughout this story.

Glee68 – who I didn’t really know well before asking for a beta. She volunteered even though she knew nothing about Glee (you’d think she did, looking at her username, but it’s a coincidence), but I was able to teach her a lot about our boys through the year I’ve been posting and writing this story. And she’s been able to help me make my story better. Thank you SO MUCH, hon. I love ya!

Bec/BloodRedLust – I met my now fic-wife way back in chapter FIVE through a review she left on my story. I, never being able to resist having the last word, of course HAD to write her back and explain/defend my choice. The discussion led to a great friendship, and I love her to pieces – thank you sweetie!

And my readers/reviewers – I appreciate you all so much, most especially those of you who have been with me from the very beginning. I love you all. Even if you’ve never left a review, I appreciate knowing you were there and that I wasn’t just sending this story out into cyberspace to be totally ignored. Though writing is my therapy and I’d do it even if no one was reading, it’s nice feeling like it wasn’t all for naught.

The lovely and amazing leeminkyo on Tumblr has created an amazing drawing of our boys and Meri a couple of years into the future. Please, please go view it, and then follow her on Tumblr – the art she posts is incredible (and some of it is delightfully smutty – I approve!)

Here is the link to this awesome pic – **http://tinyurl.com/82gzqsc**

Thanks again – it’s been a blast! Here’s one last little bit, based on the pic, for the road.

(And yes, ending on Chapter 69 was intentional ‘cause I’m immature like that!)

**xXxXxXx**

“She’s growing up so fast,” Blaine remarked, watching as their daughter ran around the park, chasing butterflies and generally getting into all the mischief that a three year old could get into.

“She is,” Kurt agreed. “You’re doing such a great job with her. I only wish I could be around to see more of it.”

 Kurt worked full time with his father at the shop and then some, the summer maintenance rush in full swing. They had meant to hire on another person to help relieve some of Kurt’s workload, but Kurt had been running himself ragged and there had been no time to even place an ad, let alone conduct interviews and hire anyone.  The only reason Kurt was with his family during daylight now was because Burt took one look at his exhausted son and ordered him to take a break.

_“Kurt, kiddo, you need to get the hell out of here. You’ve got a beautiful little girl who’s growing like a weed and a husband who I’m sure misses you like crazy. Go HOME, Kurt. Take the weekend off and be with them. The shop will survive ‘til you get back.”_

_“But Dad…”_

_“GO. Or I’ll fire you so you_ have _to leave.”_

_“You can’t fire me; I’m a partner.”_

_“You have 45%, Kurt. I have 55%. I win.”_

_Kurt had opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn’t deny that his father had the upper hand. Silently, he went back into the office to grab his messenger bag, and after a quick hug for his father, he went home to his family._

“You’re doing fine, Kurt. She and I both know that you’re doing everything you can to make a good life for us, and you are succeeding. I’ve never been happier in my life, and look at her, Kurt, does she look like she’s suffering?”

They both turned their heads to look at their little girl, who was furiously digging into the sand with a large stick, an expression of pure joy on her face. Kurt couldn’t help the big grin that spread across his own face, a grin that was matched by his husband as they watched their daughter jump up and start speeding towards them.

“Daddies! Daddies!” Meredith called excitedly. “Wook!” She proudly held out the stick that she had been using to dig with. Her face immediately fell. “Awww!” she said, clearly disappointed.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“It fwew ‘way,” she said, frowning.

“What flew away?”

“A butterfwy wanded on it. It was BOOTIFUL, Daddy K!”

Kurt reached out his arms to his daughter, and she dropped her stick and flung herself into his arms. “I’m sure it was, little one. But I bet it wasn’t half as beautiful as you.”

Meri looked up at him and beamed. “I’m bootiful, Daddy?”

Blaine smiled softly at the child. “You’re even more beautiful than Daddy K, and he’s so beautiful I can barely even stand to look at him! I’m gonna have to get special sunglasses just so I can look at you two without my eyes burning up and falling out!” He reached down and pulled out his favorite pink shades, quite a bit worse for the wear, but he couldn’t bear to part with them because Meri loved them so much.

Meredith giggled profusely. “Daddy B, you so siwwy!” She snuggled up close in Kurt’s arms, who in turn curled up more tightly in Blaine’s.

Kurt made a note to get moving on the hiring of another employee. Now that he had a taste of what having weekends off was like again, he knew he wouldn’t be giving them up for anything in the world. All his life, he had been searching for something that gave his life some meaning. He thought he would find what he was looking for on Broadway, but it wasn’t meant to be. He would’ve never thought that he would find it right here in Lima. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> 
> 
> (Yeah, yeah, I'm well aware they are sitting in opposite positions in this little future-take. Go with it and pretend they switched positions. 'Cause Kurt and Blaine like to switch sometimes. ;) )


End file.
